VOA慢速英語:研究孤生作物以改善非洲當地人的飲食，增加營養(yǎng)

From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report.

這里是美國之音慢速英語農業(yè)報道。

Things may be changing soon for some crops in Africa. A group called the African Orphan Crops Consortium says these plants are not getting enough attention. And it thinks they could help ease hunger and improve nutrition on the continent.

一些非洲作物的情況可能很快會發(fā)生改變。一家名為非洲孤生作物協會(African Orphan Crops Consortium)的組織表示，這些作物沒有得到足夠的重視。該組織認為它們能有助于非洲緩解饑餓和改善營養(yǎng)。

The consortium opened the African Plant Breeding Academy last year in Nairobi, Kenya. The academy is the result of cooperation among international organizations. They are hoping to use genetic information from 100 African plants and trees that researchers have largely ignored, but food scientists say these crops have lots of possibilities.

該協會去年在肯尼亞首都內羅畢開辦了非洲植物育種學院。該學院是國際組織之間合作的結晶。他們希望利用非洲100種植物和樹木的遺傳基因，研究人員在很大程度上忽略了它們，但食品科學家稱這些作物存在多種可能性。

Howard Yana-Shapiro is a senior fellow at the University of California, Davis. He is also the chief agricultural officer and global director of Plant Science and External Research for Mars Incorporated - the candy company.

霍華德·雅娜-夏皮羅(Howard Yana-Shapiro)是加州大學戴維斯分校的高級研究員。他也是糖果公司 - 瑪氏食品公司植物科學與對外研究部門的農業(yè)主管和全球總監(jiān)。

Mr Shapiro says he began thinking about ways to improve nutrition at the local level after seeing how poor nutrition affects children in Africa and India. He says a woman who does not eat right during her pregnancy can affect the physical and mental health of a baby. These problems, he says, can not be corrected.

夏皮羅先生表示，在他看到非洲和印度兒童如何受營養(yǎng)不良影響后，他開始思考在當地層面改善營養(yǎng)的辦法。他說，婦女在懷孕期間飲食不當會影響到寶寶的身心健康，而這些問題無可挽回。

Mr Shapiro spoke to VOA from Nairobi. He said the African Plant Breeding Academy will work on many different kinds of plants.

夏皮羅先生在內羅畢接受了美國之音的采訪。他說，非洲植物育種學院將研究多種不同類型的植物。

He says hundreds of African plants have been ignored because they are not economically important in international trade. But food scientists say the plants still have value to people in Africa.

他說，數百種非洲植物一直被人們忽略，因為它們在國際貿易上不具經濟重要性。但食品科學家表示，這些植物對非洲人們還有價值。

The African Orphan Crops Consortium plans to train plant breeders and researchers over a one-year period about the genetics of these crops. The consortium hopes they will produce more food with higher nutritional levels.

非洲孤生作物協會計劃就這些作物的遺傳基因對植物育種人員和研究人員展開為期一年的培訓。該協會希望他們能夠繁育出更多具有高營養(yǎng)的食物。

Mr Shapiro says anything researchers learn will be shared with the world without cost.

夏皮羅先生表示，研究人員發(fā)現的任何信息都將免費與全球共享。

And that's the Agriculture Report from VOA Learning English. For more agriculture stories, go to our website chinavoa.com, where you can also find transcripts, MP3s and podcasts of our reports. I'm Christopher Cruise.

以上就是美國之音慢速英語本期農業(yè)報道的全部內容。更多農業(yè)相關報道請訪問我們的網站chinaVOA.COM，網站還提供和報道相關的文本、Mp3聽力文件以及播客內容。我是克里斯多夫·克魯斯(Christopher Cruise)。