VOA标准英语2009年-New Initiative to Boost Crop Yield in South Asi

A new international initiative to increase grain crop yields could help raise incomes for six million farmers in South Asia and combat hunger in one of the poorest regions of the world.
　

Indian farmer women winnow1 mustard crop at Baraikapurva village, about 65 kilometers west of Allahabad, India (file photo)

The $30 million plan led by the International Rice Research Institute targets farmers in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal - countries that help feed close to a quarter of the world's population.

In the next 10 years, the Cereal Systems Initiative for South Asia aims to raise grain yields by at least five million tons annually².

That is expected to add at least $350 to the annual incomes of each of six million poor rural households in the region.

Achim Dobermann is the deputy director general for research at IRRI, which is based in the Philippines.

"In recent years the annual [yield] growth rate has fallen behind and stayed consistently below the population growth rate and that has raised concerns about food security," said Dobermann. "And so this project is all about having a comprehensive approach for developing new technology - better seeds but also better management practices - that can hopefully revitalize yield growth."

The initiative comes as Asia slowly recovers from the shock of record high grain prices last year. The price of rice - the region's staple³ food - more than doubled in parts of the region.

In recent months, prices have fallen but scientists warn that with less land for grain farming, weather disturbances⁴ and rising production costs, the world could still face a food crisis.

The South Asia initiative is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development. Among other things, it will work to develop improved grain varieties and educate a new generation of agricultural scientists.

The project is also aimed at reducing hunger and malnutrition⁵ in South Asia, where 40 percent of the world's poorest people live.

1 winnow   

v．把（谷物）的杂质吹掉，扬去

参考例句：

• You should winnow out the inaccuracies of this paper this afternoon.你今天下午把这篇文章中不精确的内容删掉。
• We should winnow out the errors in logic.我们应该排除逻辑中的错误。

2 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

3 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

4 disturbances   

n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍

参考例句：

• The government has set up a commission of inquiry into the disturbances at the prison. 政府成立了一个委员会来调查监狱骚乱事件。
• Extra police were called in to quell the disturbances. 已调集了增援警力来平定骚乱。

5 malnutrition   

n.营养不良

参考例句：

• In Africa, there are a lot of children suffering from severe malnutrition.在非洲有大批严重营养不良的孩子。
• It is a classic case of malnutrition. 这是营养不良的典型病例。