2007年VOA标准英语-Breadfruit Advocates Say It Could Solve Hunger

By Zulima Palacio
Washington
28 June 2007
 

Breadfruit is widely cultivated in tropical regions of the world, especially in the Pacific.  And yet, advocates say it is mostly ignored as a potential solution to hunger. They point out that breadfruit produces nutritious¹ food comparable to rice, and a high yield of wood and other products.

Producer Zulima Palacio explores the subject.  Barry Wood narrates².

Breadfruit

It smells delicious, and it tastes even better.  We are trying one of Diane Ragone's recipes with breadfruit. One person describes the dish as, "Very tasty.  It tastes exactly like a potato."

 

Diane Ragone is with the Breadfruit Institute. She demonstrates her favorite way to cook it. "This is my favorite way to eat it. This is what I call Nachos.  It is steamed breadfruit, then I cook it with just a very little butter or olive oil, then I brown them in one side then turn them around and then melt a little cheese on it."

Diane Ragone

Ragone is not just a good cook.  She is the director of the Breadfruit Institute, operating in the Hawaiian island of Kauai.  The study and promotion³ of breadfruit is her lifetime passion.   "Every four seconds someone dies of hunger on this planet.  More than 80 percent of the world's hungry live in tropical and subtropical regions.  The role that breadfruit can play in hunger is the issue of food security.  Breadfruit is productive, it gives you a nutritious food and feeds people even in times of drought."

The origins of the breadfruit tree go back more than 3,000 years. With its more than 120 species, it is one of the highest-yielding food plants. One single tree can produce up to 200 fruits per season. In the Hawaiian islands of Maui and Kauai, the Breadfruit Institute is dedicated⁴ to the study of breadfruit, and it has the largest collection in the world of different types of breadfruit trees.

"The nutritional⁵ level is better than white rice in many regards.  It has fiber⁶, rice has almost none; it has 16 times the fiber, like the equivalent amount of carbohydrates⁷.  It has vitamin A and other nutrients⁸, calcium⁹, potassium.  And in some things white rice is better."

caulk10 canoes" hspace="2" src="/upimg/allimg/070704/1405252.jpg" width="210" vspace="2" border="0" />

Sap from breadfruit plants is used to caulk canoes

Every part of the breadfruit tree can be used. Besides fruit for food, other uses include wood for decoration and construction, and flowers for mosquito repellent. Breadfruit is now planted in about 80 countries, mostly in tropical islands of the Pacific region but Ragone says it is still an under-utilized crop.

"You see the white latex coming out?  They used it to caulk canoes. They used it to glue decorative¹¹ items, to glue pieces of seeds and things on."

The main obstacle to cultivating breadfruit tree is how it is traditionally grown.  Except for a few species, it is a seedless tree and new trees come only from root cuttings or suckers. "And that is how this mother tree dies, this one will grow and replace it."

But this natural method is very slow.  And with today's international custom and agricultural regulations, the transportation of plants across national borders is nearly impossible. So Diane Ragone and her team use an old tissue culture technique for the rapid propagation of plants.

"These are a new buds and they will grow into a new branch.  We harvest the tiny little buds, that we use for our tissue culture."

Ragone says that so far the technique has been successful with some species.  So, the Breadfruit Institute is working closely with two universities to further breadfruit research.

Chipper Wichman, director of the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kauai, is very excited about the potential of this work. "We now have worked out so that you can produce one, 100 or 100,000 just as easily. The beauty is that we now have the ability to transport breadfruit internationally overnight via Fedex under sterile¹² conditions."

The first shipment of trees is already in Honduras.  And institute officials hope to reach many tropical countries in Africa and the Caribbean.  Ragone says it’s her dream. "My long term dream is that we can distribute more breadfruit widely in the areas where breadfruit can grow, areas that are very hungry and help reduce world hunger."

1 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

2 narrates   

v.故事( narrate的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• It narrates the unconstitutional acts of James II. 它历数了詹姆斯二世的违法行为。 来自辞典例句
• Chapter three narrates the economy activity which Jew return the Occident. 第三章讲述了犹太人重返西欧后的经济活动。 来自互联网

3 promotion   

n.提升，晋级；促销，宣传

参考例句：

• The teacher conferred with the principal about Dick's promotion.教师与校长商谈了迪克的升级问题。
• The clerk was given a promotion and an increase in salary.那个职员升了级，加了薪。

4 dedicated   

adj.一心一意的；献身的；热诚的

参考例句：

• He dedicated his life to the cause of education.他献身于教育事业。
• His whole energies are dedicated to improve the design.他的全部精力都放在改进这项设计上了。

5 nutritional   

adj.营养的，滋养的

参考例句：

• A diet lacking in nutritional value will not keep a person healthy.缺乏营养价值的饮食不能维持人的健康。
• The labels on food products give a lot of information about their nutritional content.食品上的标签提供很多关于营养成分的信息。

6 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

7 carbohydrates   

n.碳水化合物，糖类( carbohydrate的名词复数 )；淀粉质或糖类食物

参考例句：

• The plant uses the carbohydrates to make cellulose. 植物用碳水化合物制造纤维素。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• All carbohydrates originate from plants. 所有的碳水化合物均来自植物。 来自辞典例句

8 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 calcium   

n.钙(化学符号Ca)

参考例句：

• We need calcium to make bones.我们需要钙来壮骨。
• Calcium is found most abundantly in milk.奶含钙最丰富。

10 caulk   

v.堵缝

参考例句：

• Shipbuilders caulk wooden boats with oakum and tar.造船工匠用麻丝和沥青填塞木船缝隙。
• The sailors couldn't find anything to caulk the seam in the boat.水手们找不到任何东西来填塞船上的裂缝。

11 decorative   

adj.装饰的，可作装饰的

参考例句：

• This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。
• The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。

12 sterile   

adj.不毛的，不孕的，无菌的，枯燥的，贫瘠的

参考例句：

• This top fits over the bottle and keeps the teat sterile.这个盖子严实地盖在奶瓶上，保持奶嘴无菌。
• The farmers turned the sterile land into high fields.农民们把不毛之地变成了高产田。