VOA常速英语2017--科技为农业创收

Millions of smallholder farmers in South and Southeast Asia are attempting to diversify¹ beyond staple² crops to increase their incomes, nutrition, and resilience in response to climate change and shifting market demand. Although they are potentially significant producers of fresh vegetables and farmed fish, most smallholders lack access to technologies that would help them produce the quantities and quality needed to earn income sustainably. To address this, the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, rolled out its new Feed the Future Asia Regional Innovative³ Farmers Project at the Agriculture Innovation Summit in Dhaka, Bangladesh January 24th.

南亚和东南亚的很多小农正试图在主要作物的基础上让作物种类多样化，以增加收入、提高营养、增强应对气候变化和多变市场需求的恢复力。虽然他们是大量新鲜蔬菜和养殖鱼类的潜在生产者，但大多数小农都接触不到技术，而技术才能助力生产出大量的优质产品，赚取稳定的收入。为了解决这一问题，美国国际开发署(USAID)在1月24日于孟加拉国首都达卡市举行的农业创新峰会上推出了一个亚洲区域创新农民的新项目，名为“保障未来粮食供给”。

Implemented⁴ by Winrock International, the regional project will increase food security, reduce poverty, and improve environmental sustainability by facilitating agricultural innovation and technology diffusion⁵ in several countries in Asia including Bangladesh.

该区域性项目由温洛克国际实施，将通过在孟加拉国在内的多个国家促进农业创新和技术推广来提升粮食安全、减少贫困、增强环境的可持续性。

To disseminate⁶ agricultural knowledge and expertise⁷ among the Asian countries, this new project will create challenge competitions to discover the most promising⁸ technologies, support partnerships⁹ and ultimately bring successful tools and practices to farmers in all stages of the supply chain – from productivity to marketing¹⁰. The Honorable Additional Secretary of Bangladesh's Ministry¹¹ of Agriculture Musharaf Hossain and USAID Office of Economic Growth Director Matt Curtis spoke¹² at the event.

为了达到在亚洲各国传播农业知识和专业知识的目的，这个新项目将创造挑战竞技赛，发掘出最有希望的技术、支持合伙经营并最终为从生产到推广的供应链中各个环节的农民带来有效的工具和实践。孟加拉国农业部名誉秘书穆沙拉夫(Musharaf Hossain)和和美国国际开发署经济增长办公室主任马特(Matt Curtis)在活动上发言。

USAID also announced the winners of the Tech4Farmers Challenge, the very first challenge competition held under the Asia Regional Innovative Farmers Project that sought ways to improve the agricultural productivity and income of small hold farmers in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar and Nepal.

美国国际开发署还公布了Tech4Farmers挑战赛的获胜者，这次挑战赛也是亚洲区域创新农民项目举办的第一次挑战赛，该项目的布姆是寻找提升农业产量，提高孟加拉国、柬埔寨、缅甸、尼泊尔的小农收入。

The winners were the e-Fishery's Smart Fish Feeder, an Indonesia-based technology that combines automatic feeding with sensors¹³ and algorithms that sense fish's appetite and adjust the amount of feed to improve efficiency, and the Innovative Spirulina Production, a system created by EnerGaia in Thailand that maximizes algae¹⁴ production with minimal¹⁵ resources, reducing potential for contamination in its bioreactor design and allows spirulina production nearly anywhere. Unlike many challenges, the Tech4Farmers Innovation Challenge did not offer a cash prize, but provided winners the information, business services and access to networks to help expand innovative solutions into new markets in low-income countries.

获奖者分别是印度科技公司e-Fishery和泰国的EnerGaia公司：前者将自动喂食与传感器、算法结合起来，可以感知鱼类的胃口，并据此调节喂食量，提升效率；后者发明了螺旋藻创新生产系统，该系统可利用矿物资源将藻类产量最大化，降低生物反应器污染的可能性，让螺旋藻生产随处可行。Tech4Farmers创新挑战赛不同于其他赛事，它并不提供现金奖励，而是为获胜者提供信息、商业服务、网络接入，帮助获胜者在低收入国家扩大增加新市场的创新方案。

The U.S. Government, through USAID, has provided more than $6 billion in development assistance to Bangladesh since 1971. The U.S. is proud to work with Bangladesh promote prosperity for the people of the U.S., Bangladesh, and the Asia region.

自1971年以来，美国政府已通过美国国际开发署提供了60多亿美元的发展援助资金。美国很自豪能与孟加拉国一道为美国、孟加拉国和亚洲地区的人民促进繁荣。

 

1 diversify   

v.（使）不同，（使）变得多样化

参考例句：

• Our company is trying to diversify.我们公司正力图往多样化方面发展。
• Hills and woods diversify the landscape.山陵和树木点缀景色。

2 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。

3 innovative   

adj.革新的，新颖的，富有革新精神的

参考例句：

• Discover an innovative way of marketing.发现一个创新的营销方式。
• He was one of the most creative and innovative engineers of his generation.他是他那代人当中最富创造性与革新精神的工程师之一。

4 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

5 diffusion   

n.流布；普及；散漫

参考例句：

• The invention of printing helped the diffusion of learning.印刷术的发明有助于知识的传播。
• The effect of the diffusion capacitance can be troublesome.扩散电容会引起麻烦。

6 disseminate   

v.散布；传播

参考例句：

• We should disseminate science and promote the scientific spirit.普及科学知识，弘扬科学精神。
• We sincerely welcome all countries to disseminate their languages in China.我们真诚地欢迎世界各国来华推广本国语言。

7 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

8 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

9 partnerships   

n.伙伴关系( partnership的名词复数 )；合伙人身份；合作关系

参考例句：

• Partnerships suffer another major disadvantage: decision-making is shared. 合伙企业的另一主要缺点是决定要由大家来作。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• It involved selling off limited partnerships. 它涉及到售出有限的合伙权。 来自辞典例句

10 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

11 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

12 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

13 sensors   

n.传感器，灵敏元件( sensor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There were more than 2000 sensors here. 这里装有两千多个灵敏元件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Significant changes have been noted where sensors were exposed to trichloride. 当传感器暴露在三氯化物中时，有很大变化。 来自辞典例句

14 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

15 minimal   

adj.尽可能少的，最小的

参考例句：

• They referred to this kind of art as minimal art.他们把这种艺术叫微型艺术。
• I stayed with friends, so my expenses were minimal.我住在朋友家，所以我的花费很小。