2006年VOA标准英语-Groups Seek to Combat Desertification in Sub-Sa

By Gilbert da Costa
Abuja
23 September 2006

A high-level meeting on the role of science and research in combating desertification in sub-Saharan Africa opened in Niamey, the capital of Niger, on Saturday.  Desertification adversely¹ affects the lives and livelihood² of more than 50 million people in the Sahel region.

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		Children are seen hanging around dried watering holes at Tuka, in Ethiopia (File photo)

Leading international scientists, researchers, representatives of donor³ agencies, non-governmental groups and U.N. agencies are hoping to evolve a better future for sub-Saharan Africa's drylands, safe from the scourge⁴ of desertification.

Agriculture in the Sahel, sub-Saharan Africa's northern-most agricultural zone, is being threatened by desertification, aggravating⁵ food insecurity in one of the poorest regions of the world.

Millions of farmers in the region, who practice subsistence farming in a fragile environment, have seen crop yields fall drastically over the years.

Mark Winslow, of the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics, says new techniques, including applying even small amounts of fertilizer, called micro-dosing, can increase crop yields dramatically.

"If you buy about $10 worth of fertilizer, you get about $50 worth of extra millet⁶, cereal crop in the dry area of the Sahel," he noted⁷.  "A lot of potential solutions that have been developed by research, or are being developed have not been implemented⁸, because we do not have the world commitment that the problem needs. So, we are trying to highlight some of the solutions. One example is micro-dosing and that is to overcome the belief that fertilizer is a bad thing for dry places, because we have research that shows that, if you use the right type of fertilizer, it can actually be a good thing."

Niger, host of the three-day international workshop, was hit by a debilitating⁹ famine in 2005, prompting an international emergency response, including $100 million in food aid.

Winslow says intensifying¹⁰ international efforts to combat land degradation¹¹ in sub-Saharan Africa's drylands is more cost effective than providing food aid.

"We estimate probably about $20 million per country will enable us to really spread this technology, and per country I mean dryland countries like Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal, northern Nigeria, Chad, all these Sahelian countries," he said.

He says such investment could have made a difference in Niger.

"For example, we calculated that, in Niger, if only about 20 percent of the farmers had adopted this in 2004, there probably would not have been famine in 2005," he added.  "So, if you calculate the cost of hunger, which includes the cost for importing all the food for food aid, it is much cheaper to invest $20 million."

The United Nations has declared 2006 the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. The Niamey forum¹² hopes to galvanize global support to reduce poverty by combating desertification in the Sahel region of Africa.

1 adversely   

ad.有害地

参考例句：

• We commented adversely upon the imbecility of that message of telegraphic style. 我们对着这条电报式的愚蠢的留言发泄了一通不满。
• Widely fluctuating exchange rates may adversely affect international trade. 浮动幅度很大的汇率可能会对国际贸易产生有害的影响。

2 livelihood   

n.生计，谋生之道

参考例句：

• Appropriate arrangements will be made for their work and livelihood.他们的工作和生活会得到妥善安排。
• My father gained a bare livelihood of family by his own hands.父亲靠自己的双手勉强维持家计。

3 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。

4 scourge   

n.灾难，祸害；v.蹂躏

参考例句：

• Smallpox was once the scourge of the world.天花曾是世界的大患。
• The new boss was the scourge of the inefficient.新老板来了以后，不称职的人就遭殃了。

5 aggravating   

adj.恼人的，讨厌的

参考例句：

• How aggravating to be interrupted! 被打扰，多令人生气呀！
• Diesel exhaust is particularly aggravating to many susceptible individuals. 许多体质敏感的人尤其反感柴油废气。

6 millet   

n.小米，谷子

参考例句：

• Millet is cultivated in the middle or lower reaches of the Yellow River.在黄河中下游地区，人们种植谷子。
• The high quality millet flour was obtained through wet milling.采用湿磨法获得了高品质的小米粉。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 implemented   

v.实现( implement的过去式和过去分词 )；执行；贯彻；使生效

参考例句：

• This agreement, if not implemented, is a mere scrap of paper. 这个协定如不执行只不过是一纸空文。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The economy is in danger of collapse unless far-reaching reforms are implemented. 如果不实施影响深远的改革，经济就面临崩溃的危险。 来自辞典例句

9 debilitating   

a.使衰弱的

参考例句：

• The debilitating disease made him too weak to work. 这个令他衰弱的病，使他弱到没有办法工作。
• You may soon leave one debilitating condition or relationship forever. 你即将永远地和这段霉运说拜拜了。

10 intensifying   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的现在分词 )；增辉

参考例句：

• The allies are intensifying their air campaign. 联军部队正加大他们的空战强度。 来自辞典例句
• The rest of the European powers were in a state of intensifying congestion. 其余的欧洲强国则处于越来越拥挤的状态。 来自英汉非文学 - 历史

11 degradation   

n.降级；低落；退化；陵削；降解；衰变

参考例句：

• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。
• Gambling is always coupled with degradation.赌博总是与堕落相联系。

12 forum   

n.论坛，讨论会

参考例句：

• They're holding a forum on new ways of teaching history.他们正在举行历史教学讨论会。
• The organisation would provide a forum where problems could be discussed.这个组织将提供一个可以讨论问题的平台。