VOA慢速英语2011--Poor Suffer as Food Prices Likely to Stay High

Agriculture Report - Poor Suffer as Food Prices Likely to Stay High

农业报道 - 粮价高企穷人遭殃

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。

There are growing concerns about food insecurity in the developing world. Rising food prices, weather emergencies and political problems are deepening 1 the struggle of families in many countries.

发展中国家的粮食安全日益引发关注。食品价格上涨，突发天气和政治问题使得许多国家家庭更深地陷入挣扎。

Three United Nations agencies 2 published a report last week before Sunday's observance of World Food Day. This year’s "State of Food Insecurity in the World" report says high prices are likely to continue. Gregory Barrow is with the World Food Program in Rome.

联合国三家机构上周在周日世界粮食日庆祝活动前发布了《世界粮食不安全状况》报告。今年的报告称高粮价可能会继续。格雷戈里·巴罗（Gregory Barrow）就职于罗马的世界粮食计划署。

GREGORY BARROW: "If you look at the places where World Food Program works 3 particularly in developing countries, you see populations of people who might be spending sixty, seventy, eighty percent of their salaries on purchasing food for their families."

巴罗：“如果你看一下世界粮食计划署工作的地方，特别是发展中国家，你就会看到人们可能要花费他们收入的60%到80%来为家庭购买食物。”

The report says even short-term 4 price increases can have a long-term effect. Reducing nutritious 5 food early in a child’s life can affect mental and physical development and limit future earnings 6.

报告称即使是短期价格上涨也会产生长期影响。儿童早期营养食物的减少会影响智力和身体发育，并限制未来的收入。

East Africa is suffering its worst drought 7 in years. In Kenya, at least three and a half million people are going hungry, mostly in the north. Yet food is going to waste in central Kenya. Now, farmers there want the government to buy their food and get it to those in need.

东非正遭受多年来最严重的干旱。在肯尼亚，至少有350万人挨饿，这些人主要在肯尼亚北部。然而肯尼亚中部粮食却在浪费。现在，这里的农民希望政府购买他们的粮食并送到需要的人手里。

Farmers say bad roads and a lack of transportation make it difficult for them to get their produce to market. Storage is another problem. And they complain about a big drop in food prices.

农民称路况不好以及缺乏运输工具使他们难以将其粮食产品运到市场，粮食储存也是一个问题。他们还抱怨粮食价格大幅下跌。

Nahashon Gitau farms almost three hectares about a ninety-minute drive from Nairobi. He says he regrets that he wastes at least twenty-five percent of his harvest while other Kenyans are hungry.

Nahashon Gitau在距离内罗毕90分钟车程的地方种植了近3公顷土地。他表示感到遗憾的是，当其他肯尼亚人挨饿时，自己却浪费至少25%的粮食收成。

NAHASHON GITAU: "It is for the government to make some arrangements -- perhaps even give transport. Then, they can buy it at a good price, then give it to those people instead of asking for food from overseas, which is very bad. When we are throwing away food, they are asking for food from overseas."

Nahashon Gitau：“政府应该做出一些安排，甚至提供运输。然后，政府可以以合适价格购买，并分给那些挨饿的人们，而不是寻求海外粮食援助--这点是非常糟糕的。当我们在浪费食物，政府却在寻求海外粮食援助。”

Economists 8 say the imports reduce local food prices, decrease productivity 9 and increase dependency among the people.

经济学家表示，粮食进口降低了当地粮食价格，降低了生产效率，并增加了人们的依赖。

Mr. Gitau says if he could receive higher prices for his crops, he could feed more Kenyans.

Gitau先生说，如果他的粮食收成可以卖出更高价，他可以养活更多肯尼亚人。

NAHASHON GITAU: "From my farm, I would perhaps sell every season, say, one hundred bags of potatoes, and perhaps ten thousand heads of cabbages, say, three times in a year. I can manage that product. And I have got some other farmers who can do even better than me."

NAHASHON GITAU：“我农场每季可以出产100袋土豆，近万头卷心菜，每年可以种三季。我可以管理这些产品，也雇佣了一些比我干得更好的农民。”

Kinangop District officer Peninnih Dzombo explained why local governments have not taken action.

基南戈普（Kinangop，地名）地区专员Peninnih Dzombo解释了为什么地方政府没有采取行动。

PENINNIH DZOMBO: "In our department, in most cases we usually work through reports and all that. So it depends on who will read the report. But we have not made the effort to have it like a priority 10 that we want A, B, C, D addressed.”

PENINNIH DZOMBO：“我们部门在多数情况下通过报告等开展工作。因此这就取决于谁将看这些报告。但我们还没尝试在这些报告上按ABCD标注优先级。”

Ms. Dzombo says her office does not get enough money from the central government to improve roads and take other steps to help farmers reach markets.

Dzombo女士说，她的部门从中央政府没有获得足够资金来改善道路状况以及采取其他措施帮助农民进入市场。

And that’s the VOA Special English Agriculture Report. I'm Bob Doughty 11.

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Contributing: Sabina Castelfranco, Cathy Majtenyi and Jerilyn Watson