VOA标准英语2009年-Kenya's Food Crisis Worsening

Kenya's government is announcing new emergency steps to address the country's growing food crisis. But critics say the government's actions are too little, too late.

The emergency plan announced by the Kenyan Cabinet this week includes mobilizing the army to assist those desperately¹ short on food and water.
　
A Kenyan woman loads her donkey with containers of water in Wargadud, Kenya (file photo)

The plan also nearly doubles the amount of rationed² food and provides emergency measures for herders whose livestock³ is threatened by the area's severe drought.

Rockefeller Foundation food security analyst⁴ Joseph Nyoro welcomed the government's announcement, but said the relief plan is inadequate⁵.

"The announcement by the Cabinet was necessary. But it was not sufficient, and it ran short of the expectations of Kenyans," he said.

Nyoro is also critical of the government's decision to rely on the army as the main vehicle for the assistance, saying it is the local communities and the civil society that actually know in each area who are suffering the most.

It has been reported that Kenya President Mwai Kibaki was briefed for the first time on the total severity of the food and water crises just last month. Humanitarian⁶ organizations have been raising the alarm that millions of Kenyans could be facing possible starvation since the beginning of the year.
　
Raila Odinga (file photo)

Kenya Prime Minister Raila Odinga predicted Wednesday that domestic grain production will fall 65 percent short of domestic demand this year. The nation will have to import the grain shortfall if it hopes to avoid massive starvation.

The government says it is working with the private sector⁷ and donor⁸ countries to meet the Kenya's food needs.

The drought is also having a devastating⁹ effect on the nation's mostly-nomadic pastoral herders. Many are deciding to cut their losses and sell their emaciated¹⁰ cattle instead of risking the death of the animals should the drought continue much longer.

Nyoro faults the government for being blindsided by the crisis.

"When you come to budget allocation, it was totally ignorant of the total circumstances that were prevailing¹¹ in the country. The budget was actually cited less than it was the previous year. And yet we were caught up in this food crisis," he said.

Kenyan minister of agriculture William Ruto also chides¹² his government's financial priorities. He says the long-term solution to the nation's food insecurity needs to be addressed through funding development of the country's agricultural sector.

"The truth of the matter is that we have to re-arrange our budget. We have to be cognizant of the reality that unless we finance the agricultural sector, talk of growing the economy is talk in vain. We really have to look at our budget process," said Ruto.

The water shortage is also causing a severe energy shortfall across the country, which relies heavily on hydro-electric power. Kenya's major power company has instituted systematic¹³ power rationing¹⁴ until power supplies improve.

1 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

2 rationed   

限量供应，配给供应( ration的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• We were rationed to two eggs a day. 每天配给我们两个鸡蛋。
• The army is well rationed. 部队给养良好。

3 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。

4 analyst   

n.分析家，化验员；心理分析学家

参考例句：

• What can you contribute to the position of a market analyst?你有什么技能可有助于市场分析员的职务？
• The analyst is required to interpolate values between standards.分析人员需要在这些标准中插入一些值。

5 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

6 humanitarian   

n.人道主义者，博爱者，基督凡人论者

参考例句：

• She has many humanitarian interests and contributes a lot to them.她拥有很多慈善事业，并作了很大的贡献。
• The British government has now suspended humanitarian aid to the area.英国政府现已暂停对这一地区的人道主义援助。

7 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

8 donor   

n.捐献者；赠送人；(组织、器官等的)供体

参考例句：

• In these cases,the recipient usually takes care of the donor afterwards.在这类情况下，接受捐献者以后通常会照顾捐赠者。
• The Doctor transplanted the donor's heart to Mike's chest cavity.医生将捐赠者的心脏移植进麦克的胸腔。

9 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

10 emaciated   

adj.衰弱的，消瘦的

参考例句：

• A long time illness made him sallow and emaciated.长期患病使他面黄肌瘦。
• In the light of a single candle,she can see his emaciated face.借着烛光，她能看到他的被憔悴的面孔。

11 prevailing   

adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的

参考例句：

• She wears a fashionable hair style prevailing in the city.她的发型是这个城市流行的款式。
• This reflects attitudes and values prevailing in society.这反映了社会上盛行的态度和价值观。

12 chides   

v.责骂，责备( chide的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He gently chides his students every time they misspelled a word. 每当他的学生拼错一个词时，他都温和地责备他们。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 systematic   

adj.有系统的，有计划的，有方法的

参考例句：

• The way he works isn't very systematic.他的工作不是很有条理。
• The teacher made a systematic work of teaching.这个教师进行系统的教学工作。

14 rationing   

n.定量供应

参考例句：

• Wartime austerities included food rationing and shortage of fuel. 战时的艰苦包括食物配给和燃料短缺。
• Food rationing was abolished in that country long ago. 那个国家早就取消了粮食配给制。