VOA慢速英语:Much of Africa Not Investing Enough in Agricultural Research

Investing in agricultural research and development can help poor countries fight hunger and poverty. A new study says investments in sub-Saharan Africa increased by more than twenty percent between two thousand one and two thousand eight. But the study also found that just a few countries were responsible for most of that growth.
在农业研究和发展方面的投资可以帮助贫穷国家消除饥饿和贫困。一项新的研究表明，2001年至2008年期间，撒哈拉以南非洲在农业方面的投资增加了20%以上。但是这项研究还发现，只有少数几个国家对这部分增长作出贡献。

Nigeria was responsible for one-third of it. Ghana, Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda also increased their spending. But thirteen countries decreased their investments.
该数字增长的三分之一应该归功于尼日利亚。加纳，坦桑尼亚，苏丹和乌干达也增加了支出。但是有十三个国家在农业方面减少了投资。

Nienke Beintema from the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute led the study. She says new technologies are needed to deal with some of the causes of hunger.
来自华盛顿国际粮食政策研究所的Nienke Beintema负责这项研究。她表示，解决贫困国家的饥饿问题需要新的技术。

NIENKE BEINTEMA: "Food price volatility, growing population, water scarcity and climate change. There is more demand on better technologies or different technologies to address these issues."
Nienke Beintema：“粮食价格的上涨，人口不断增加，水资源短缺和气候变化都是造成饥饿现象的原因。这就要求更好的或者不同的技术来解决这些问题。”

She says some countries, including Nigeria, have increased their investments after spending far too little in the past.
她表示，包括尼日利亚在内的一些国家过去在农业方面的投入远远不足，现在则增加了农业研发方面的投资。

NIENKE BEINTEMA: "It is a positive sign because it is more commitment from the government.  But Nigeria had extremely low levels of agricultural research funding. I was there for the first time in two thousand or two thousand one.  And I visited institutes that could not function. They even did not have a phone line, or they did not have gas for the cars, one computer that did not work."
Nienke Beintema：“这是一个积极的现象，因为政府做出了越来越多的努力。但是尼日利亚的农业研究经费非常少。2000年或2001年时我第一次到那里。我参观了不能正常运作的研究所。他们甚至没有电话线，汽车每汽油，还有一台不能正常工作的计算机。”

Nigeria now has the largest agricultural research system south of the Sahara. That is one measure of progress. But Nienke Beintema says a better measure is whether a country is spending more than one percent of its agricultural money on research. And in two thousand eight, she says, Nigeria was not doing that.
尼日利亚现在已经拥有撒哈拉以南非洲最大的农业研究中心，这是衡量一个国家科研能力进步的一个标准。但是，Nienke Beintema表示，另外一个更好的衡量标准是，一个国家是否将农业方面超过1%的资金用于研究。2008年，她表示,尼日利亚还没有做到这一点。

Botswana, Burundi, Kenya, Mauritania and Mauritius were spending more than one percent. So were Namibia, South Africa and Uganda.
博茨瓦纳、布隆迪、肯尼亚、毛里塔尼亚和毛里求斯的农业科研投入超过了1%，另外还包括纳米比亚，南非和乌干达。

Ms. Bientema examined levels of financing and employment at three hundred seventy research centers in thirty-two countries. She believes most countries depend too heavily on international donations to help pay for research. Many donations are short term, she says, and the research often ends when the money has been spent.
Bientema对32个国家的370个研究中心的资金和雇员情况进行了调查。她认为，大部分国家过于依赖国际捐赠来对农业科研进行投资。她说，许多捐赠是短期的，当钱花完之后研究也就结束了。

Ms. Bientema says countries must improve their higher education systems to get more qualified researchers. But the study found that new researchers are not being hired in some countries because of budget problems. At the same time, many older researchers are nearing retirement age.
Bientema说，各国必须改善高等教育系统水平，以获得更多合格的研究人员。但是这项研究发现，因为预算问题，许多国家并没有雇用新的研究人员。同时，许多老的研究人员已经接近退休年龄。

Private industry may be able to help if governments cut their spending. Some cooperatives, for example, raise money for research into important crops.
如果政府削减他们的支出,或许私营行业能够帮助到农业研究. 例如，一些合作社可以为重要的农作物研究筹集资金。