VOA慢速英语:Improved Seeds Could Help Africa Feed Itself

Large governmental organizations controlled the production of seeds in Africa for many years. Owners of small farms had to buy their seeds from these agencies. But now there is an effort to make seeds from other suppliers available to African farmers. The new, improved seeds might someday help Africa feed itself.
非洲大型政府组织控制种子生产多年。小农场的老板们不得不从这些机构购买种子。但是现在有措施鼓励其它供应商向非洲农民提供种子。这种新的改良种子可能有一天能够帮助非洲养活自己。

Edward Mabaya grew up in Zimbabwe. There were ten children in his family. His father was a construction worker. His mother farmed their land. He says the small farm was very successful because his mother used different kinds of seeds.
Edward Mabaya在津巴布韦长大。他的家庭里有10个孩子。他的父亲是一名建筑工人，他的母亲耕种着自家土地。他说，这家小农场过去非常成功，因为他的母亲使用了不同品种的种子。

He says it was a time when many new kinds of seeds were coming into Zimbabwe. He said some farmers began to use them and increased their crop production. Mr. Mabaya said his parents used the money earned from those crops to send all their children to school.
他说，当时有很多新品种的种子进入津巴布韦。一些农民开始使用这些种子并增加了作物的产量。Mabaya先生称，他的父母利用这些作物赚来的钱送他家所有孩子上学。

Mr. Mabaya is now a researcher at Cornell University in New York. He is working on a project that he hopes will give other small farmers the same chance his parents had.
Mabaya先生现在是纽约康奈尔大学的一名研究员。他正致力于一个项目，希望这个项目能给其它小农户带去他父母曾有过的同等机会。

He leads The African Seed Access Index (TASAI), which researches Africa's seed industry. The organization was launched in March. It is a joint effort of Cornell University, a non-profit group called Market Matters, Inc. and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
他领导的The African Seed Access Index（TASAI）是一家研究非洲种子产业的组织。该组织成立于3月份。这是康奈尔大学、一家名为Market Matters, Inc的非营利性组织以及美国农业部的共同努力。

TASAI hopes to provide improved seeds to owners of small farms. Mr. Mabaya says Africa's seed industry is complex and can be inefficient. He says TASAI will try to identify areas of the industry that can be improved.
TASAI组织希望给小农场主提供改良种子。Mabaya先生表示，非洲的种子产业非常复杂并且很低效。他说，TASAI组织将尝试找出该行业可以改善的领域。

Some private seed developers are operating in Africa but not many. And they have not worked to develop new seeds. Most farmers in Africa use the same seeds they have been planting for many years, unlike farmers in the Western world. The seeds have not been improved to resist disease or tolerate drought.
一些私营种子开发商开始在非洲运营，但不是很多。而且他们并未致力于开发新种子。不像西方世界的农民，大多数非洲农民使用的是他们已经种植多年的同样的种子。这些种子未经过抗病或耐旱的改良。

George Bigirwa works at the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa or AGRA. He says there are not enough improved seeds in Africa to supply the millions of farmers who need them.
George Bigirwa就职于非洲绿色革命联盟（AGRA）。他说，非洲没有足够多改良种子提供给有需求的数百万农民。

"I remember when before AGRA came in, in some countries like Burkina Faso, like Mali, even Ghana, there were no seed companies. At least today you have an average of about six to eight seed companies in place. However, looking at the amount of seed each company produces, that is still very little."
“我记得在非洲绿色革命联盟进入布基纳法索、马里，甚至是加纳这些国家之前，这里没有种子公司。至少今天这些国家平均拥有6到8家种子公司。然而每家公司生产的种子数量还是很少。”

He says improved seeds can help small farmers increase their production by six times.
他说改良种子可以帮助小农户把产量提高6倍。

Mr. Mabaya says this difference can be enough to help farmers who are now growing just enough food to feed their families. He says instead they could grow crops to sell, as well. He says that could help them escape poverty.
Mabaya先生称，这种差异足以帮助现在刚够养家糊口的农民。与此相反，他们可以种出作物来卖。他说，这能帮助他们摆脱贫困。

Mr. Mabaya says there is still much work to be done to fully develop Africa's seed industry. But he says if seed companies and farmers in Africa continue to use the same agricultural technology the rest of the world uses, Africa will someday be able to feed itself.
Mabaya先生称，还有许多工作要做来充分开发非洲的种子产业。但他表示，如果非洲的种子公司和农民们继续使用和世界其它地区相同的农业技术，非洲有一天将能养活自己。