Our planet is thirsty — thirsty because it is hungry. It takes one thousand times more water to feed the human population than it does to satisfy its thirst.
Water lies at the core of sustainable development concerns, and its rational and equitable management is crucial for human survival. That was one of the key messages to arise from the World Summit on Sustainable Development2 that was held in Johannesburg this summer. Next year’s Third World Water Forum in Japan will address this issue in greater depth.
It is therefore fitting that this year’s World Food Day spotlights the role of water in food security. Without water, there can be no food production. In fact, the agricultural sector is the user of 70 percent of the planet’s water supply. In a world in which per capita water availability is declining, we need to focus on appropriate water management if we are to sufficiently increase food production, with a view to reduce hunger and malnutrition, and feed a population expected to rise to 8 billion in 30 years’time.
Shortage of water threatens extensive agricultural regions in developing countries and fans the prospect of food crises. At present, twenty countries do not have enough water to produce the food their populations need. In some cases, the overexploitation of water resources undermines future agricultural production, while in others, their underexploitation inhibits development.
The combined vicious impact of poverty, rising demand for food and insufficient availability of water therefore poses a serious challenge for world food security and universal access to clean water. One billion people are deprived of clean water, and most of these people are also hungry. They live in rural areas and agriculture is their main source of income.
How are we to ensure water availability and food security, while safeguarding the environment? At present, more than one-third of the world’s food production comes from the irrigated areas that make up 16 percent of the planet’s arable land. Irrigated farming is at least twice as productive as rainfed farming3, and during the next 30 years some 70 percent of additional food production in developing countries should come from irrigated land.
It is urgent to avoid poor irrigation practices that have often led to diminishing water supplies, land degradation and spread of disease . Far too often, more water is being pumped than can possibly be recharged. Also , too much water is being lost along canals, because of leakage , wastage , seepage or evaporation. Too many schemes are losing productivity because of inappropriate drainage, waterlogging and a build-up of salts in the soil.
We thus have to turn increasingly to adopt integrated watershed management, curb the upstream deforestation that generates flooding and erosion, and significantly increase investment in water control infrastructure. Finally, water use will be sustainable only if it is done in a socially equitable manner.
New water policy, and institutions and laws will facilitate the integrated management of river basins and water resources by all stakeholders, in a climate of transparency, accountability and social justice.
The cooperation of all development partners, the public, private and non-profit sectors at national and international level, will be indispensable to resolve conflicts of interest, mobilize substantial financial resources and create conditions for a fairer distribution of food and water.
The countries of Africa , the Middle East and southern Asia that are already facing serious water shortages will see their situation rapidly worsen unless there is stronger solidarity between the regions of abundance and the regions of scarcity. Such solidarity is necessary if we are to avoid a proliferation and aggravation of tensions relating to water .
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CET4大学英语四级阅读练习题：
Ⅰ. Fill in e ach bla nk with p rop er wo rds or p hra ses from the p as sage :
1. Many people in Africa ( 剥夺) their rights of living peacefully.
2. A few of spies are planning to ( 破坏) the social stability.
3. Library is usually regarded as a ( 非盈利) organization.
Ⅱ. Question :
Why should we avoid poor irrigation practices?
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参考答案：
Ⅰ. 1. are deprived of 2. undermine 3 . non-profit
Ⅱ. Because such practices have often led to diminishing water supplies, land degradation and spread of disease.
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CET4大学英语四级阅读参考译文：
水:粮食安全之源
我 们的星球很渴。它之所以渴是因为它饥饿。它用于生产供养人类的粮食所需要的水比用于人类饮用的水多一千倍。
水是可持续发展关注的核心问题。对水进行公平合理的管理是人类生存的关键。这是今年夏天在约翰内斯堡举行的可持续发展首脑会议发出的主要信息之一。明年在日本举行的第三届“ 世界水论坛”将要更加深入地讨论这一问题。
因此, 今年的“ 世界粮食日”突显水在粮食安全中的作用是正逢其时的。没有水, 就不可能进行粮食生产。事实上, 地球上的供水量有70% 为于农业部门所用。世界上水的人均占有量正在下降, 必须对水进行适当集中管理才能充分提高粮食生产, 从而减少饥饿和营养不良, 为30 年后预计将达到80 亿的人口提供食品。
缺水对发展中国家的广大农业地区造成威胁, 可能引起粮食危机。目前有20 个国家无充足的水用于生产该国人口需要的粮食。在某些情况下, 水资源过度开发影响了农业生产前景, 而在另一些情况下, 水资源利用不足抑制了发展。
贫困、对粮食日益增加的需求以及供水量不足等综合因素对世界粮食安全及人人获得净水提出了严重挑战。有十亿人缺乏净水, 他们中的大多数还遭受饥饿。他们生活在农村地区, 农业是主要收入来源。
我们如何才能在保护环境的同时确保水的供应和粮食安全呢? 今天, 世界粮食产量有三分之一以上来自灌溉地区, 灌溉面积占全球耕地面积的16% 。灌溉农业的产量至少是雨育农业的两倍。在今后30 年间, 发展中国家增加的粮食产量约有70% 来自灌溉土地。我们急需避免通常会导致供水减少、土地退化和疾病传播的不良灌溉方法。更多时候抽水量都超过了储水重新补给的能力。同样, 因流失、消耗、渗透或蒸发, 有太多的水在灌渠沿途损失。由于排水不当、积水和土壤盐碱化日益严重, 许多灌区的生产率下降。
因此, 我们必须更多地采用小流域综合管理方法, 制止造成水灾和侵蚀的上游毁林, 大量增加对水利基础设施的投资。最后, 水的利用只有以社会公平的方式进行才可能持续。新的水政策和体制及法律将在一种透明、负责和社会公正的氛围下, 促使所有利益相关者接受对江河流域及水资源的综合管理方法。
国家和国际范围内所有发展伙伴之间、公共、私营及非盈利部门之间必须进行合作, 才能解决利益冲突, 调动大量经济资源, 为更加公平分配粮食和水创造条件。除非富足地区与匮乏地区之间加强团结协作, 否则非洲、中东和南亚已经面临严重缺水国家的形势将会迅速恶化。如果我们要避免与水有关的紧张状况扩散和加剧, 就需要这种团结协作。
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阅读导评
凡去过中国西北和华北的人都知道那里缺水的情况有多严重, 即便是上海这种位于长江口的城市实际上也不是水资源富足的地区: 2003 年讨论中国最适合发展电脑芯片工业的地域是珠江三角洲地区而不是长三角的沪宁杭等地, 更别提连生活用水都有些拮据的京津唐地区了( 芯片工业是已知产业中耗淡水之最) 。科学合理地用水, 保护现有水源免受污染, 比如把钮扣电池投放到指定的电池采集点从而免于污染大量水源, 是目前我们急需要做的。
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阅读讲解：
1. 这是世界粮食日庆祝仪式上一位总干事的讲话。
2. 可持续发展。18、19 世纪欧美实行工业化的过程当中以牺牲环境为代价换取经济的高速发展, 同时产生的问题就是当时的人们生存环境十分恶劣: 伦敦得了个世界“ 雾都” 的臭名, 美国的中西部黑风暴肆虐, 因此在第三世界国家走工业化的过程中不能再重复那种先污染后治理的道路, 而且现代技术的产品往往具有比那时更高的污染程度和对人体更长远更可怕的伤害, 所以可持续发展就被提上议事日程: 要以负责任的态度对待发展问题, 不能把一个重度污染、物种灭绝、资源耗尽的地球留给后代。
3. 雨水灌溉的农业。所谓“ 靠天田”, 这种田一般产量不高, 也不稳定。
