AGRICULTURE REPORT - Importance of Biodiversity

AGRICULTURE REPORT - Importance of Biodiversity
By Mario Ritter

Broadcast: Tuesday, October 26, 2004

This is Gwen Outen with the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

An environment that is biologically diverse¹ has lots of different plants and animals. The Food and Agriculture Organization says this is needed for people to have enough high-quality food to lead active and healthy lives. For World Food Day this year, the United Nations agency² chose the message: "Biodiversity for Food Security³"

The idea of biodiversity recognizes that natural systems are complex and depend on one another.

In agriculture, depending on only a few crops can be dangerous. One example is the Great Potato Famine⁴ in the eighteen forties. Ireland depended on potatoes as a food resource. But a disease⁵ ruined the crop for several years. More than one million people died from hunger.

Yet experts say the world depends on only four crops to provide half its food energy from plants. These are wheat, maize⁶, rice and potato.

The experts say it is important to support a large number of different food crops and farm animals that can survive different conditions. Such diversity helps to reduce the risk from losing one main crop.

Farmers also have a responsibility to protect wild species⁷. The Food and Agriculture Organization says more than forty percent of all land is used for agriculture. Farm fields are an important place for wild animals to live and reproduce⁸.

Also, farmers must consider the effects that agriculture has on the environment. Farm pollution or poor agricultural methods can harm wetlands, rivers and other environments needed to support life.

The World Bank says invasive species are a severe threat to biodiversity. Plants and animals often spread without natural controls when they enter areas they are not native to. They can destroy crops, native species and property. Invasive species cost the world economy thousands of millions of dollars each year.

The World Bank says it is the world's largest supporter of biodiversity projects. It says its support had reached almost five thousand million dollars by the end of the two thousand four financial year.

World Food Day is observed on October sixteenth. It celebrates the anniversary⁹ of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, which has its headquarters¹⁰ in Rome. The F.A.O. started in nineteen forty-five in Quebec City, Canada.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Mario Ritter. This is Gwen Outen.

1 diverse   

adj.不同的；相异的；多种多样的；形形色色的

参考例句：

• Spain is a composite of diverse traditions and people.西班牙是一个汇集了多种传统和民族的国家。
• Society is now much more diverse than ever before.当今社会较之以往任何时候都要丰富多彩得多。

2 agency   

n.经办；代理；代理处

参考例句：

• This disease is spread through the agency of insects.这种疾病是通过昆虫媒介传播的。
• He spoke in the person of Xinhua News Agency.他代表新华社讲话。

3 security   

n.安全，安全感；防护措施；保证(金)，抵押(品)；债券，证券

参考例句：

• A security guard brought him down with a flying tackle.一名保安人员飞身把他抱倒。
• There was tight security at the airport when the President's plane landed.总统的专机降落时，机场的保安措施很严密。

4 famine   

n.饥荒；严重的缺乏

参考例句：

• We're collecting for the famine victims.我们正在为遭受饥荒的灾民募款。
• Famine stared us in the face.饥荒迫在眉睫。

5 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

6 maize   

n.玉米

参考例句：

• There's a field planted with maize behind the house.房子后面有一块玉米地。
• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。

7 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

8 reproduce   

v.生育，繁殖，复制，重做

参考例句：

• The machine can reproduce a key in two minutes.这机器能在两分钟内复制一把钥匙。
• The picture will reproduce well.这照片会印得很清楚。

9 anniversary   

n.周年(纪念日)

参考例句：

• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。
• Today is my parents'30th wedding anniversary.今天是我父母结婚30周年纪念日。

10 headquarters   

n.司令部，指挥部；总部，总店

参考例句：

• Several great guns from the headquarters are coming to see us today.总部的几个大人物今天要来看我们。
• The bank has its headquarters in Pairs.这家银行的总行在巴黎。