VOA常速英语2008年-Food Inflation Hits World's Poor Hardest

By Brian Padden
Washington
15 April 2008
 

The rising cost of food has triggered riots in a number of countries in recent weeks.  Economic policy makers¹ warn that the inflationary effect could push millions back into poverty.  And aid organizations are concerned that they will not be able to feed the poorest of the poor.  VOA's Brian Padden reports on the global food crisis.

A street protest against rising food costs recently turned violent in the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince, as well as in cities in other developing countries. Peter Smerdon of the World Food Program explains what the higher costs mean for aid agencies in Somalia.

"We may have to cut rations² or cut the number of people that we feed in Somalia because of these increased costs, so what we very much hope for is that donors³ will be able to step forward to cover these increased costs so that we can continue to help these people who are in such desperate need,” he said.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick says food inflation disproportionately affects the world's poor. 

"In Bangladesh a two-kilogram bag of rice like this now consumes about half of the daily income of a poor family," Zoellick said.

A drought in Australia and crop diseases in other parts of the world have contributed to the diminishing food supply.  There also is increased demand in other countries. Christopher Flavin is president of Worldwatch Institute.

Flavin says, "As ** and other developing countries increase their consumption of meat and of dairy products and a whole variety of other things that require lots of grain and soybeans to produce them, it means that supply is now having a hard time keeping up with demand."

Higher fuel prices are partly to blame for the rising cost of food.  Researcher Nicolas Minot of the International Food Policy Research Institute says fuel prices not only affect production costs, but they also entice⁴ farmers to convert land to bio-fuel production.

"As oil prices go up, ethanol becomes more profitable pulling more maize⁵ into bio-fuel production and out of food production," Minot said.

Minot says removing trade barriers could help mitigate⁶ the food crisis.  But he says more research and technology is needed to produce ample energy and food for the world. 

1 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 rations   

定量( ration的名词复数 )； 配给量； 正常量； 合理的量

参考例句：

• They are provisioned with seven days' rations. 他们得到了7天的给养。
• The soldiers complained that they were getting short rations. 士兵们抱怨他们得到的配给不够数。

3 donors   

n.捐赠者( donor的名词复数 )；献血者；捐血者；器官捐献者

参考例句：

• Please email us to be removed from our active list of blood donors. 假如你想把自己的名字从献血联系人名单中删去，请给我们发电子邮件。
• About half this amount comes from individual donors and bequests. 这笔钱大约有一半来自个人捐赠及遗赠。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 entice   

v.诱骗，引诱，怂恿

参考例句：

• Nothing will entice the children from television.没有任何东西能把孩子们从电视机前诱开。
• I don't see why the English should want to entice us away from our native land.我不明白，为什英国人要引诱我们离开自己的国土。

5 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。

6 mitigate   

vt.（使）减轻，（使）缓和

参考例句：

• The government is trying to mitigate the effects of inflation.政府正试图缓和通货膨胀的影响。
• Governments should endeavour to mitigate distress.政府应努力缓解贫困问题。