VOA标准英语2014--索马里粮食问题日益严重

 

Somalia Risks Growing Food Insecurity 索马里粮食问题日益严重

Somalia is again facing growing food insecurity. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization blames it on late rains, a poor harvest and ongoing¹ conflict. It’s estimated 800,000 Somalis currently are in need of food aid. Of those, 200,000 are described as malnourished children under age five.

Senior Economist² Shukri Ahmed said $18-million dollars is needed over the next 90-days to scale-up rapid interventions⁴.

“These three months are very important actually because this is what we call the hunger season. It’s usually just before the main harvest. The main harvest starts in August. And this is when you would have depleted⁵ you stocks from the earlier crop, which this year was also not very good. It was relatively⁶ poor.”

Ahmed said Somalia has some fundamental and chronic⁷ problems affecting its food supply.

“Whenever there is some escalation⁸ of one or the other, we raise these alarms. It could be the security situation that goes from bad to worse in certain cases – and in others it is the rainfall situation and drought conditions again rearing their head. And in others it is a combination of these things coming together,” he said.

Such combinations, he said, proved to be deadly in the past in Somalia.

It’s not clear whether the late and erratic⁹ rainfall is due to climate change. Ahmed says that would require further study. The current conditions, though, are well-known in the region.

“Generally, the eastern Africa, particularly the Horn of Africa – what we know as Somalia, parts of Ethiopia, parts of Kenya and even parts of Tanzania – have this erratic rainfall.  And every now and then there is this drought happening. But now that we don’t have infrastructure¹⁰ on the ground – the small irrigation systems that we have are broken in Somalia. And all [these] are coming together actually to create havoc¹¹ on food security,” he said.

The late and erratic Gu rains – which normally occur from April though June – followed January’s poor harvest in southern Somalia. Maize¹² and Sorghum¹³ prices have risen between 60 and 80-percent.

Ahmed said, “There was this escalation of conflict in main producing areas. So it didn’t give farmers enough time actually to prepare their land and to harvest.”

AU, Kenyan and Somali forces continue to battle the militant¹⁴ group al Shabab.

The FAO senior economist said that Somalis have done their best to cope.

“Somalis are resilient people. Generally through trade and exchange and through markets they were able actually to absorb most of these shocks.”

He said the estimated billion dollars in remittances¹⁵ from Somalis abroad were also crucial.

The rapid intervention³ programs for Somalia include distribution of seeds and vouchers¹⁶ for fertilizers and the use of tractors – pest and disease prevention and control – and a temporary cash for work project to rebuild some infrastructure.

“The canals, the irrigation and working on those and rehabilitating¹⁷ them so that whatever rains come, farmers and others would be able to use them. So the creation of employment is for the productive part, the productive assets of the people, which then help the livelihoods¹⁸ of the population,” he said.

Another part of the rapid intervention includes the restocking of livestock¹⁹ for about 4,000 pastoralists.

The FAO expects conditions to improve slightly in Somalia in August and September when the next harvest should be ready. It says the Gu rains resumed in early May, but would have to continue through the end of June to prevent food insecurity conditions from getting worse.

1 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

2 economist   

n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人

参考例句：

• He cast a professional economist's eyes on the problem.他以经济学行家的眼光审视这个问题。
• He's an economist who thinks he knows all the answers.他是个经济学家，自以为什么都懂。

3 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。

4 interventions   

n.介入，干涉，干预( intervention的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Economic analysis of government interventions deserves detailed discussion. 政府对经济的干预应该给予充分的论述。 来自辞典例句
• The judge's frequent interventions made a mockery of justice. 法官的屡屡干预是对正义的践踏。 来自互联网

5 depleted   

adj. 枯竭的, 废弃的 动词deplete的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• Food supplies were severely depleted. 食物供应已严重不足。
• Both teams were severely depleted by injuries. 两个队都因队员受伤而实力大减。

6 relatively   

adv.比较...地，相对地

参考例句：

• The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
• The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。

7 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

8 escalation   

n.扩大，增加

参考例句：

• The threat of nuclear escalation remains. 核升级的威胁仍旧存在。 来自辞典例句
• Escalation is thus an aspect of deterrence and of crisis management. 因此逐步升级是威慑和危机处理的一个方面。 来自辞典例句

9 erratic   

adj.古怪的，反复无常的，不稳定的

参考例句：

• The old man had always been cranky and erratic.那老头儿性情古怪,反复无常。
• The erratic fluctuation of market prices is in consequence of unstable economy.经济波动致使市场物价忽起忽落。

10 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

11 havoc   

n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱

参考例句：

• The earthquake wreaked havoc on the city.地震对这个城市造成了大破坏。
• This concentration of airborne firepower wrought havoc with the enemy forces.这次机载火力的集中攻击给敌军造成很大破坏。

12 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。

13 sorghum   

n.高粱属的植物，高粱糖浆，甜得发腻的东西

参考例句：

• We can grow sorghum or maize on this plot.这块地可以种高粱或玉米。
• They made sorghum into pig feed.他们把高粱做成了猪饲料。

14 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

15 remittances   

n.汇寄( remittance的名词复数 )；汇款，汇款额

参考例句：

• He sends regular remittances to his parents. 他定期汇款给他父母。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Remittances sometimes account for as much as 20% of GDP. 在这些国家中，此类汇款有时会占到GDP的20%之多。 来自互联网

16 vouchers   

n.凭证( voucher的名词复数 )；证人；证件；收据

参考例句：

• These vouchers are redeemable against any future purchase. 这些优惠券将来购物均可使用。
• This time we were given free vouchers to spend the night in a nearby hotel. 这一次我们得到了在附近一家旅馆入住的免费券。 来自英语晨读30分（高二）

17 rehabilitating   

改造（罪犯等）( rehabilitate的现在分词 )； 使恢复正常生活； 使恢复原状； 修复

参考例句：

• a unit for rehabilitating drug addicts 帮助吸毒者恢复正常生活的机构
• She was more concerned about protecting the public than rehabilitating the criminal. 她比较关心保护百姓，而不大关心改造罪犯。

18 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

19 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。