VOA慢速英语2014 肯尼亚北部牧民为生存转为农民

 

AS IT IS 2014-12-15 To Survive, Herders Become Farmers in Northern Kenya 肯尼亚北部牧民为生存转为农民

The northern part of the East African nation of Kenya is hot and gets little rain. The area has been suffering from periods of small amount of rainfalls and droughts, when almost no rain falls. This has been going on for many years. People who live there say the droughts are becoming more severe.

Herders are among those suffering the most. They are people who move with their animals from place to place. But over the past few years, many of the animals have died. The lack of rain has stopped the growth of grasses and other foods the animals eat.

Many of the herders have no animals left, so they are forced to become farmers. In their culture, being a herder brings them power and respect. Farmers are not as respected as herders.

Ali Abdi was a herder. His family was considered wealthy. He had respect from people in his home district of Garissa, in northern Kenya. Mr. Abdi had about 100 goats. He moved when the seasons changed, searching for new places for the goats to eat. But in 2012 and 2013, little rain fell, and Mr. Abdi’s world changed.

As the pastures³ dried up, he says, his animals lost weight, then started to die. By the end of the drought, more than two-thirds of his goats were gone. They were the only way he could feed his family.

Ahmed Sheikh works at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock⁴ Research Organization. He says Mr. Abdi was not the only herder who suffered.

“Most people actually went into destitution⁵. People who had 100 heads of cattle remained with 10, goats the same. The herd¹ size is what makes pastoralism a bit economical, but once the herd size shrinks it becomes really uneconomical.”

This year drought has again hit Garissa, so Mr. Abdi made a difficult decision.

Mr. Abdi and about twelve other men and women are trying to grow crops. The group prepared about three hectares of land using long knives.

It was so difficult that some of them thought it would be impossible. But now they are growing fruits and vegetables, including bananas, tomatoes, chilies⁶ and lemons.

Some local people criticized Mr. Abdi for choosing to become a farmer.

Mr. Abdi says his wife was unhappy, because in their society a man who farms is considered lowly and poor. This is still true, he says, even though he now makes more money from his farm than he did with his goats.

With the help of money from development organizations and the government, a few herders in Garissa have begun to crow crops. Of course, they cannot depend upon rain. But Ahmed Sheik says technology is being used to irrigate⁷ the crops using water from the Tana River.  

The new farmers have to be taught everything, including preparing the land, how to plant the seeds and proper methods for watering. A non-governmental aid organization called African Development Solutions is training them. Abshir Abdi works for the group.

He says few herders have become farmers yet. But he says the number is growing. He says he sees more and more land being prepared for farming near the Tana River.

Words in This Story

drought – n. a long period of time during which there is very little or no rain

herder – n. a person who gathers and moves a group of animals

pasture² – n. a large area of land where animals feed on the grass

destitute⁸ – adj. extremely poor

pastoral – adj. of or relating to the countryside or to the lives of people who live in the country                                                                        

irrigate – v. to supply (something, such as land) with water by using artificial means (such as pipes)                 

1 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

2 pasture   

n.牧场，牲畜饲养

参考例句：

• This is the place where they used to pasture.这就是他们过去经常放牧的地方。
• The boy got up very early every morning to pasture cattle.这男孩每天起得很早去放牛。

3 pastures   

牧草地( pasture的名词复数 )； 生活状况； 工作条件

参考例句：

• They move with their flocks to upland pastures. 他们带着牲畜迁往高原上的牧场。
• Nothing can be compared, he maintains, with the first cock crow, the twittering of birds at dawn, the sight of the rising sun glinting on the trees and pastures. 金鸡初啼，黎明鸟语，那闪烁着朝晖的树木和草原的景色，这一切他认为无可比拟。

4 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

5 destitution   

n.穷困，缺乏，贫穷

参考例句：

• The people lived in destitution. 民生凋敝。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• His drinking led him to a life of destitution. 酗酒导致他生活贫穷。 来自辞典例句

6 chilies   

n.红辣椒( chili的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some people like to harvest the plants, when the chilies are green. 一些人喜欢在辣椒长成绿色的时候就采摘。 来自互联网
• Sprinkle with scallions and sliced chilies and served hot. 洒上葱粒、辣椒丝，趁热上桌。 来自互联网

7 irrigate   

vt.灌溉，修水利，冲洗伤口，使潮湿

参考例句：

• The farmer dug several trenches to irrigate the rice fields.这个农民挖了好几条沟以灌溉稻田。
• They have built canals to irrigate the desert.他们建造成水渠以灌溉沙漠。

8 destitute   

adj.缺乏的；穷困的

参考例句：

• They were destitute of necessaries of life.他们缺少生活必需品。
• They are destitute of common sense.他们缺乏常识。