VOA标准英语2010年-Insurance Initiative Could Protect Far

In Kenya, the specter of drought is never far from the minds of the millions who make their living on the farm.

Agriculture is Kenya's most important product. The industry employs nearly three quarters of the country's workers and accounts for almost one fifth of the nation's gross domestic product.

Drought threatens the livelihoods¹ of tens of millions in Kenya, but those most at risk are the millions who farm simply to survive. For those farmers, drought is both an economic risk and a life threatening event.

Many subsistence farmers in Kenya invest their life savings² into each harvest, and a single season of light rain can set a family back for years.

In 2007, unusually low rainfall triggered a food shortage, sending food prices up and prompting calls for price controls. The effects of that drought continued through late 2009, when unusually heavy rains provided a rare surplus for the country.

In east Africa, serious drought is expected about once per decade. But recent reports of a La Nina weather system in the Pacific have many predicting yet another season of insufficient³ rain.

To protect against such uncertainty⁴, small farmers often plant different seed varieties to guarantee at least some returns on their investment. Planting different types of drought resistance crops can help cover risk, but lead to reduced yields and keep farmers living from season to season.

Harvest insurance can protect against crop failures, but such services are expensive and typically unavailable to farmers. Insurance premiums⁵ can reach thousands of dollars, while many small farmers invest less than $100 in each season's crop. Small farmers often work in remote areas, making site visits by insurance companies difficult and expensive.

But through a new partnership⁶ between UAP Insurance, telecommunications firm Safaricom and Swedish non-profit Syngenta, Kenyan farmers can buy insurance on seed and fertilizer to protect against potential losses.

The product, called Kilimo Salama - which means "safe agriculture" in Swahili - harnesses mobile technology and new agricultural technology to provide insurance on a smaller scale.

Instead of insurance inspectors⁷, Kilimo Salama has installed stations across the country that measure weather patterns and predict how harvests will be affected⁸. These unmanned stations wirelessly⁹ transmit data to a central database that is used to calculate losses and distribute payments to farmers.

According to Sygenta spokesperson Rose Goslinga this method, known as weather indexing, provides an efficient and cost effective way of calculating risk on small farms.

"That weather station measures what goes on, on the farmers' fields and is essentially¹⁰ a representation of the insurance. So you do not have to send anybody to go and check what happens on the farm," she said. "This means you reduce your transaction costs. Instead of having to go and visit, you now can see 100 farmers, who all maybe have one acre and measure what goes on, on their farm."

Another unique aspect of the insurance is the way in which farmers are paid. When weather stations detect a potential crop loss, insurance payments are automatically made to farmers via mobile phone.

The product utilizes¹¹ Safaricom's heralded¹² M-Pesa service, which allows customers to send and store money with mobile phones. On July 21, Kilimo Salama made its first payouts via M-Pesa. The average payout was around $22, though some were as small as $1 and others as large as $3,500.

Through mobile phones, Kilimo Salam also provides updates to farmers as well as tips for growing crops in challenging regions.

Kilimo Salama is still in development, but the program appears to be catching¹³ on. First launched in 2009, around 200 farmers were insured. This year, the program covers approximately 11,000 farmers across Kenya.

A farmer from Siakago in Kenya's Eastern Province, Lydia Njagi, first tried Kilimo Salama insurance out of curiosity.

Njagi says she initially¹⁴ insured around $5 worth of seed before the current growing season. After weather stations predicted a 15 percent reduction in crop yields Njagi received an initial payment of around one dollar, with more to come if the weather trends continue. Njagi told VOA she was initially skeptical¹⁵ of the product, but would insure more of her crop for the next season.

Many of Siakago's farmers told VOA they were happy with the Kilimo Salama program, and many more could be seen lining¹⁶ up to purchase the insurance for the first time.

While the insurance program is only available for seed and fertilizer produced by brands certified¹⁷ by the group, Goslinga told VOA the group planned to expand the project and open it up to other producers in the future.

Kilimo Salama has 30 weather stations that cover climate zones about 15 to 20 kilometers in area. Only five areas in Kenya are currently covered, but the group hopes to build an additional 50 stations this year to cover more farmers by the start of the next season.
 

1 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。

2 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

3 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。

4 uncertainty   

n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物

参考例句：

• Her comments will add to the uncertainty of the situation.她的批评将会使局势更加不稳定。
• After six weeks of uncertainty,the strain was beginning to take its toll.6个星期的忐忑不安后，压力开始产生影响了。

5 premiums   

n.费用( premium的名词复数 )；保险费；额外费用；（商品定价、贷款利息等以外的）加价

参考例句：

• He paid premiums on his life insurance last year. 他去年付了人寿保险费。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Moves are afoot to increase car insurance premiums. 现正在酝酿提高汽车的保险费。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 partnership   

n.合作关系，伙伴关系

参考例句：

• The company has gone into partnership with Swiss Bank Corporation.这家公司已经和瑞士银行公司建立合作关系。
• Martin has taken him into general partnership in his company.马丁已让他成为公司的普通合伙人。

7 inspectors   

n.检查员( inspector的名词复数 )；（英国公共汽车或火车上的）查票员；（警察）巡官；检阅官

参考例句：

• They got into the school in the guise of inspectors. 他们假装成视察员进了学校。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Inspectors checked that there was adequate ventilation. 检查员已检查过，通风良好。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 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。

9 wirelessly   

不用电线的，用无线电波传送的

参考例句：

• I heard it on the wireless. 我是从无线电收音机里听到的。
• There are a lot of wireless links in a radio. 收音机里有许多无线电线路。

10 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

11 utilizes   

v.利用，使用( utilize的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• One highly successful approach utilizes a triplet aspheric lens array. 一种很成功的方法是利用一个三合非球面透镜阵列。 来自辞典例句
• The first utilizes a blend of finely ground ceramic powders. 第一种用的是一种磨细的陶瓷粉末混合物。 来自辞典例句

12 heralded   

v.预示( herald的过去式和过去分词 )；宣布（好或重要）

参考例句：

• The singing of the birds heralded in the day. 鸟鸣报晓。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• A fanfare of trumpets heralded the arrival of the King. 嘹亮的小号声宣告了国王驾到。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

14 initially   

adv.最初，开始

参考例句：

• The ban was initially opposed by the US.这一禁令首先遭到美国的反对。
• Feathers initially developed from insect scales.羽毛最初由昆虫的翅瓣演化而来。

15 skeptical   

adj.怀疑的，多疑的

参考例句：

• Others here are more skeptical about the chances for justice being done.这里的其他人更为怀疑正义能否得到伸张。
• Her look was skeptical and resigned.她的表情是将信将疑而又无可奈何。

16 lining   

n.衬里，衬料

参考例句：

• The lining of my coat is torn.我的外套衬里破了。
• Moss makes an attractive lining to wire baskets.用苔藓垫在铁丝篮里很漂亮。

17 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。