肯尼亚牧民种植耐旱植物对抗干旱（在线收听）

Kenyan Herders Embrace Drought-resistant Trees 肯尼亚牧民种植耐旱植物对抗干旱

In northern Kenya, recurrent drought and desertification [process by which once fertile lands turn into deserts] are hitting livestock-dependent communities hard. Families in the Samburu region are hoping to root out malnutrition by planting 18 species of drought-resistant, fruit-bearing trees.

Early morning in Samburu. Ten-year-old Arlha Lenguris is having her only meal of the day, porridge mixed with cooking oil, before heading out to tend to her father’s herd of goats.

桑布鲁的早上。10岁的阿尔哈·兰葛里斯正在享用一天当中唯一一餐—加入了烹饪油的稀粥。饭后就她就要出门帮父亲放羊。

Her father, Mark Lenguris, earns about $100 a month. The family’s diet mainly consists of rice, polenta and beans. It’s what they can afford and what’s available.

她父亲马克·兰葛里斯每月只能赚到100美元。这个家庭的食物主要以米饭、粥及豆子为主。他们能够负担得起的就只有这些。

Samburu gets low rainfall throughout the year. Drought is common. Herders can travel more than a 160 kilometers in search of green pasture.

桑布鲁全年降雨量低。干旱是家常便饭。牧民们通常要走160多公里才能找到一片绿草地。

"The grazing ground for camel, cattle and sheep is just so scarce so that’s why I’ve thought of some options of farming because there’s no ground to graze nowhere to take our animals to feed grass," said Mark Lenguris.

“骆驼，牛羊的草场太少了，所以我得想些方法，因为如今我们的牲畜已经没有地方吃草了。”

Lenguris started planting fruit trees about a year ago as part of a U.N.-funded initiative by Sadhana Kenya.

兰葛里斯大约一年前就开始种植果树，这是联合国支持Sadhana义工组织发起行动的其中一环。

Today, they plant Moringa Stenopetela. Its leaves can be eaten raw or cooked and are good sources of calcium, iron and other key vitamins, like A and C.

现在他们正在种植辣木。这种树的叶子可以生吃或加工后食用，而叶子中富含钙、铁及其它如A和C等的主要维生素。

“In an area like this, there needs to be more food production, a greater diversity, and with more trees they can provide it, especially [with the] food-producing trees that we plant," said Bruce Thomas, project director with the Sadhana Forest. "With greater diversity, comes greater diversity of nutrition that’s available, and healthier people.”

“在这样的地区，需要更多食品以加强多样性，而种树就可以做到这点，尤其是我们种的是能结出果实的树。这样营养的多样性也就得到加强，人们也会更加健康。”

They are planting other trees also indigenous to the region that need little water, like African oak and desert date trees. The community expects its first harvest in about a year.

他们还种植土生土长，不需要浇灌很多水的其它树木，比如非洲橡树及沙漠椰枣树。他们预期首次收获是在大约1年后。