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Agriculture Report - Much of Africa Not Investing Enough in Agricultural Research
This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。
Investing in agricultural research and development can help poor countries fight hunger and poverty. A new study says investments in sub-Saharan Africa increased by more than twenty percent between two thousand one and two thousand eight. But the study also found that just a few countries were responsible for most of that growth.
在农业研究开发方面投资可以帮助贫困国家消除贫穷和饥饿。一项新研究称，2001年到2008年期间，撒哈拉以南非洲（在农业研究开发方面）的投资额增长超过了20%。
Nigeria was responsible for one-third of it. Ghana, Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda also increased their spending. But thirteen countries decreased their investments.
尼日利亚占到了其中的1/3。加纳、坦桑尼亚、苏丹和乌干达也增加了在农业上投资。但也有13个国家削减了投资。
Nienke Beintema from the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute led the study. She says new technologies are needed to deal with some of the causes of hunger.
来自华盛顿国际粮食政策研究所的Nienke Beintema领导了这项研究。她说，处理造成饥饿的一些根源需要新技术支持。
NIENKE BEINTEMA: "Food price volatility1, growing population, water scarcity2 and climate change. There is more demand on better technologies or different technologies to address these issues."
NIENKE BEI??NTEMA：“粮食价格波动，人口增长，水资源短缺和气候变化。解决这些问题需要更好的新技术。”
She says some countries, including Nigeria, have increased their investments after spending far too little in the past.
她说，包括尼日利亚在内的一些国家都在过去投资太少的情况下都增加了投资。
NIENKE BEINTEMA: "It is a positive sign because it is more commitment from the government. But Nigeria had extremely low levels of agricultural research funding. I was there for the first time in two thousand or two thousand one. And I visited institutes that could not function. They even did not have a phone line, or they did not have gas for the cars, one computer that did not work."
NIENKE BEI??NTEMA：“这是一个积极的迹象，因为它是来自政府的更多的承诺。但尼日利亚的农业研究经费曾经极其短缺。我2000年到2001年左右第一次去到那里，访问了一些无法正常工作的研究所。他们甚至没有电话线，也没有汽车燃料，有台无法工作的电脑。”
Nigeria now has the largest agricultural research system south of the Sahara. That is one measure of progress. But Nienke Beintema says a better measure is whether a country is spending more than one percent of its agricultural money on research. And in two thousand eight, she says, Nigeria was not doing that.
尼日利亚现在拥有撒哈拉以南最大的农业科研体系。这是一个进步的标志。但Nienke Beintema说，更好的标志是，一个国家在农业上投入的科研资金是否超过全部农业资金的1%。她说，2008年尼日利亚没有达到这个标准。
Botswana, Burundi, Kenya, Mauritania and Mauritius were spending more than one percent. So were Namibia, South Africa and Uganda.
博茨瓦纳、布隆迪、肯尼亚、毛里塔尼亚和毛里求斯的农业科研投入超过了1%，另外还包括纳米比亚，南非和乌干达。
Ms. Bientema examined levels of financing3 and employment at three hundred seventy research centers in thirty-two countries. She believes most countries depend too heavily on international donations to help pay for research. Many donations are short term, she says, and the research often ends when the money has been spent.
Bientema女士查验了32个国家370个研究中心的融资和就业情况。她认为，大多数国家在农业科研上过于依赖国际捐款。她说，许多捐款是短期的，往往钱花完了，研究也就终止了。
Ms. Bientema says countries must improve their higher education systems to get more qualified4 researchers. But the study found that new researchers are not being hired in some countries because of budget problems. At the same time, many older researchers are nearing retirement5 age.
Bientema女士说，各国必须改善其高等教育体系，以培养更多合格的研究人员。但研究发现，由于预算问题，一些国家并未能雇用这些新的研究人员。与此同时，很多年老的研究人员已接近退休年龄。
Private industry may be able to help if governments cut their spending. Some cooperatives6, for example, raise money for research into important crops.
如果政府削减开支，私营行业也许能够帮助农业科研。例如，一些合作社筹集资金研究重要农作物。
收听单词发音 |
1
volatility
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| n.挥发性，挥发度，轻快，（性格）反复无常 | |
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scarcity
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| n.缺乏，不足，萧条 | |
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financing
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| n.筹措资金 | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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cooperatives
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| 合作社，联合体( cooperative的名词复数 ) | |
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