VOA标准英语2010年-Food Security, HIV/AIDS Treatment and

To ensure food security for a rapidly growing global population, governments are investing heavily in agriculture. But food policy experts say that investment must include HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
HIV/AIDS and food have been inextricably linked from the time the pandemic began sweeping¹ across the continent.
The disease struck the ranks of farmers hard, leaving the livelihoods³ of millions of people in jeopardy⁴. Before treatments were available, those infected with HIV knew that starvation would kill them quicker than the virus. So, they demanded health workers give them food before agreeing to learn about safe sex. Today, even for those receiving anti-retroviral treatment, food is essential to make that therapy effective.
For food security to be achieved in the coming years, experts say HIV/AIDS must be part of the plan. That was the reason for a meeting this week in Cape⁵ Town, South Africa, where experts discussed a decade of work on HIV and nutrition security.
HIV, food and farmsStuart Gillespie is director of RENEWAL⁶, the Regional Network on AIDS, Livelihoods and Food Security, with hubs in southern African countries.
He says, "Originally, we looked at the ways in which HIV/AIDS may exacerbate⁷ food insecurity by the stress it places on the household, particularly the most productive household members. And we have documented ways in which through labor⁸ shortages, through diversion of labor within the households, it affected⁹ the ability of households to actually engage in agriculture. And agriculture itself is still the number one source of livelihood² for most people affected by HIV on the planet."The effects of the pandemic on farmers can still be seen today. Gillespie says it helped to create haves and have-nots.
"In some ways, HIV has made certain farmers actually richer. They've been better able to buy off land from people who are desperate to sell because they're in a situation of distress¹⁰ and they're starting to sell off assets possibly due to AIDS, possibly due to AIDS plus other factors, like the food crisis. So you see the interconnections," he says.
HIV/AIDS also affected agricultural extension services, which provide farmers with support and technical expertise¹¹.
Gillespie says, "During a five-year period between 2002 and 2007 in both Malawi and Zambia, one in eight agricultural extension workers had actually died of HIV during that period. And the quality of extension that was available due to these staff shortages, which were not made up, declined, significantly. People weren't able to do their jobs properly in agricultural extension. Farmers were therefore not able to avail themselves to new technologies."High prices, food shortagesWhen the food crisis struck a few years ago, Gillespie says it had a detrimental¹² effect on HIV/AIDS programs in Africa.
"We had documented it two years ago during the last food price hikes that these kind of dramatic rises in prices can significantly impact prevention issues, prevention strategies with HIV. They can impact treatment, the ability of people to remain on drugs when they're too hungry, when they cannot afford to buy food to meet the increased appetite they have [when] on the drugs. And it will also affect mitigation because households are grappling with other financial and economic problems, as well as HIV," he says.
He says people will stop taking anti-retroviral drugs if they can't get enough to eat. Food is necessary to help counter the side effects of the drugs.
"They need 30 percent extra calories alone on treatment."Gillespie is also a senior research fellow with IFPRI, the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington. He says without food security, the progress made against HIV/AIDS may be lost.
"If people are stopping drugs because they are too hungry to take the drugs without feeling completely sick – if they're stopping the drugs and compliance¹³ levels drop below 90 percent – we're in a situation where the virus becomes resistant¹⁴ to the drugs. And therefore, we need second line therapies or third line therapies, which are going to be a lot more expensive and even more difficult to resource in the current climate of austerity," he says.
Food experts and HIV/AIDS organizations are joining forces to find ways of better integrating food security policies with HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment. That includes helping¹⁵ ensure the health of African farmers.

1 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

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 livelihoods   

生计，谋生之道( livelihood的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• First came the earliest individualistic pioneers who depended on hunting and fishing for their livelihoods. 走在最前面的是早期的个人主义先驱者，他们靠狩猎捕鱼为生。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件
• With little influence over policies, their traditional livelihoods are threatened. 因为马赛族人对政策的影响力太小，他们的传统生计受到了威胁。

4 jeopardy   

n.危险；危难

参考例句：

• His foolish behaviour may put his whole future in jeopardy.他愚蠢的行为可能毁了他一生的前程。
• It is precisely at this juncture that the boss finds himself in double jeopardy.恰恰在这个关键时刻，上司发现自己处于进退两难的境地。

5 cape   

n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风

参考例句：

• I long for a trip to the Cape of Good Hope.我渴望到好望角去旅行。
• She was wearing a cape over her dress.她在外套上披着一件披肩。

6 renewal   

adj.(契约)延期，续订，更新，复活，重来

参考例句：

• Her contract is coming up for renewal in the autumn.她的合同秋天就应该续签了。
• Easter eggs symbolize the renewal of life.复活蛋象征新生。

7 exacerbate   

v.恶化，增剧，激怒，使加剧

参考例句：

• WMO says a warming climate can exacerbate air pollution.世界气象组织说，气候变暖可能会加剧空气污染。
• In fact efforts will merely exacerbate the current problem.实际上努力只会加剧当前的问题。

8 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

9 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

10 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

11 expertise   

n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长

参考例句：

• We were amazed at his expertise on the ski slopes.他斜坡滑雪的技能使我们赞叹不已。
• You really have the technical expertise in a new breakthrough.让你真正在专业技术上有一个全新的突破。

12 detrimental   

adj.损害的，造成伤害的

参考例句：

• We know that heat treatment is detrimental to milk.我们知道加热对牛奶是不利的。
• He wouldn't accept that smoking was detrimental to health.他不相信吸烟有害健康。

13 compliance   

n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从

参考例句：

• I was surprised by his compliance with these terms.我对他竟然依从了这些条件而感到吃惊。
• She gave up the idea in compliance with his desire.她顺从他的愿望而放弃自己的主意。

14 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

15 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。