VOA慢速英语2015 改良种子可以帮助非洲养活自己

Improved Seeds Could Help Africa Feed Itself 改良种子可以帮助非洲养活自己

Large governmental organizations controlled the production of seeds in Africa for many years. Owners of small farms had to buy their seeds from these agencies. But now there is an effort to make seeds from other suppliers available to African farmers. The new, improved seeds might someday help Africa feed itself.

Edward Mabaya grew up in Zimbabwe. There were ten children in his family. His father was a construction worker. His mother farmed their land. He says the small farm was very successful because his mother used different kinds of seeds.

He says it was a time when many new kinds of seeds were coming into Zimbabwe. He said some farmers began to use them and increased their crop production. Mr. Mabaya said his parents used the money earned from those crops to send all their children to school.

Mr. Mabaya is now a researcher at Cornell University in New York. He is working on a project that he hopes will give other small farmers the same chance his parents had.

He leads The African Seed Access Index (TASAI), which researches Africa’s seed industry. The organization was launched in March. It is a joint¹ effort of Cornell University, a non-profit group called Market Matters, Inc. and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

TASAI hopes to provide improved seeds to owners of small farms. Mr. Mabaya says Africa’s seed industry is complex and can be inefficient². He says TASAI will try to identify areas of the industry that can be improved.

Some private seed developers are operating in Africa but not many. And they have not worked to develop new seeds. Most farmers in Africa use the same seeds they have been planting for many years, unlike farmers in the Western world. The seeds have not been improved to resist disease or tolerate drought.

George Bigirwa works at the Alliance³ for a Green Revolution in Africa or AGRA. He says there are not enough improved seeds in Africa to supply the millions of farmers who need them.

“I remember when before AGRA came in, in some countries like Burkina Faso, like Mali, even Ghana, there were no seed companies. At least today you have an average of about six to eight seed companies in place. However, looking at the amount of seed each company produces, that is still very little.”

He says improved seeds can help small farmers increase their production by six times.

Mr. Mabaya says this difference can be enough to help farmers who are now growing just enough food to feed their families. He says instead they could grow crops to sell, as well. He says that could help them escape poverty.

Mr. Mabaya says there is still much work to be done to fully⁴ develop Africa’s seed industry. But he says if seed companies and farmers in Africa continue to use the same agricultural technology the rest of the world uses, Africa will someday be able to feed itself.

Words in This Story

access – n. being able to use or get something

inefficient – adj. not capable of producing desired results without wasting materials, time or energy; not efficient

tolerate – v. to allow (something that is bad or unpleasant) to exist, happen or be done

1 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

2 inefficient   

adj.效率低的，无效的

参考例句：

• The inefficient operation cost the firm a lot of money.低效率的运作使该公司损失了许多钱。
• Their communication systems are inefficient in the extreme.他们的通讯系统效率非常差。

3 alliance   

n.同盟，同盟国，结盟，联姻

参考例句：

• China will not enter into alliance with any big power.中国不同任何大国结盟。
• The new alliance was very much in evidence.新的联盟上星期很引人注目。

4 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。