干旱之后的埃塞俄比亚面临饥荒

AS IT IS 2015-11-27 Worries of Famine After Drought in Ethiopia 干旱之后的埃塞俄比亚面临饥荒

The people of Ethiopia were nearly wiped out by famine in the early 1980s when 400,000 died.

The country’s government is seeking aid to make sure that doesn’t happen again.

In a country where 85 percent of the people are farmers, millions are in need of aid.

Ethiopia needs $250-million in assistance so that 8 million people do not go hungry.

One million metric tons of wheat for the next four months will cost almost $300 million.

Getachew Redda is a government spokesman. He says the Ethiopian government will be able to manage the drought with the financial aid. But Ethiopia must help farmers by developing more wells and irrigation projects so they are not so dependent on rain.

Weather experts say the drought is caused by El Ni?o, an extreme weather pattern. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric¹ Administration in the United States, El Ni?o results in warmer-than-normal water in the Pacific Ocean that affects climates to the East. 

Historically, droughts should be expected every 10 to 12 years. But as climate changes, rain will be less reliable and less predictable.

Government officials say projects that create long-term solutions are more important than temporary wheat distribution.

Wagayehu Bekele is the director of the agricultural transformation² agency in Ethiopia. He says farmers must adapt their schedules and work when the weather is good, instead of during traditional planting seasons.

“Traditional wisdom is not working anymore. If the rain starts early, they don’t start sowing or planting.”

Agriculture makes up about half of Ethiopia’s economy. The lack of rain is also affecting the health of livestock³.

Technology plays an important role in making the country more modern and its agriculture industry more sustainable, says one environment advocate.

Araya Asfaw is the director of the Horn of Africa Regional Environment Center and Network. He says more investment is needed in weather tracking and prediction.

“We need to have more meteorological stations all over the place.”

The crisis is building. Right now 8 million people are in danger of going hungry. But if the aid does not arrive soon, the United Nations estimates that number could soon double.

Words in This Story

drought – n. a long time of little or no rain

famine – n. when many people have little to eat

irrigation – n. watering land so crops can grow

meteorological – adj. the science of weather

sustainable – adj. a practice that does not use up all resources

transformation – n. a complete change in appearance, form, etc.

1 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

2 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

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。