环球英语 1254 Ending the Hunger Season
Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Liz Waid.
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And I’m Ryan Geertsma. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
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Francis Wanjala Mamati is a farmer. He is from the country of Kenya, in central Africa. Mamati does not know exactly when he was born. He told writer Roger Thurow, that he knows it was in the year 1957. But, he is not sure of the month. He thinks that it must have been in the month of May or June. Why May or June? He thinks this because of his middle name: Wanjala. Wanjala means “hunger.” And the months of May and June are in the middle of Kenya’s “hunger season.”
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In central Africa, many countries experience a hunger season every year. During this period of time, farmers cannot grow food. The weather is too hot and there is not enough rain. The hunger season affects everyone in this area. However, it is especially difficult for the farmers. During the hunger season, farmers have little food like everyone else. But they also have no way to earn money.
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But what if Central African farmers could grow more food? Could they decrease or even end the hunger season? Well, the answers to these questions are complex. Today’s Spotlight is on how one aid organization and thousands of central African farmers are working to end the hunger season.
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Every year Central African farmers struggle through the hunger season. It can last from two to nine months. Each year, farmers must carefully divide and save the food they have from last year’s harvest. Often, they have just enough to feed their families. Farmers and communities in Central Africa have struggled through the hunger season for centuries.
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However, over the last one hundred years, the hunger situation has become more complex. Because of a growing world population and demand for food, farming has changed.
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Like many industries, farming has grown into a large, global business. Countries like Brazil, China, the United States and India export large amounts of food crops all over the world. And the growing farm industry has led to major developments in farming technology.
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One area of improved technology is water. Today, large farming businesses have the world’s best irrigation systems. These systems provide water for crops when the season is hot and there is little rain. However, in many central African countries, small farmers do not have the money to pay for such costly technology. They must depend only on the rain.
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A second area of improved technology is the creation of crop seeds that resist bacteria and disease. These seeds help farmers produce crops that survive attacks by disease. However, these seeds cost a lot of money. Large famers are able to pay for this new technology. But many small farmers can not.
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Without irrigation and seed technology, farming in Central Africa is very risky. The climate is dry and disease is common. But even when farmers do grow enough food, they still struggle. Like any farmer, farmers in Central Africa need to sell their crop for a good price. But this can be difficult. Central African farmers have to compete with other farmers for the best price. But they are not competing against other local farmers. Instead, they are competing against farmers from other countries!
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Large farming countries like the United States produce a lot of extra food. So those countries often give or sell extra food, to countries that experience a hunger season. Writer and global food policy expert Roger Thurow explains,
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“Farmers in the United States are supported by the government. They produce huge amounts of food for less money than farmers can produce it anywhere else. It is easier for the poor countries to buy their food from the United States than to produce it themselves. And if they become hungry, other countries can feed them with food aid.”
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This may sound like a good idea. But it creates a problem. Local Central African farmers cannot compete with the free or low cost, imported food. Local community members may want to support local farmers. But often they do not have money to pay for the more costly food. This makes it more difficult for the small farmers to support their families.
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There are many things that make it very difficult for farmers in central Africa - crop disease, lack of water, technology and global competition. But many farmers are finding ways to fix these problems.
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These farmers are working with organizations like the One Acre Fund. One Acre Fund provides microfinance loans. Many organizations provide these small money loans to business people that have little money or property. However, not many organizations provide microfinance to small farmers. This is because microfinance organizations have firm rules about re-paying loans. Often, there are set payments that must be made every month. However, it can be difficult for farmers to pay monthly payments. Many small farmers cannot re-pay loans until after the yearly harvest. So, it is too risky for microfinance organizations to loan money to farmers.
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But One Acre and thousands of farmers in Central Africa are working together to solve this problem. One Acre provides more flexible re-payment terms to the farmers. The farmers can pay the loans back after the harvest - when they are able.
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The farmers are also doing something to lower One Acre’s risk. They work in groups of 8 to 12 farmers called “cooperatives.” These cooperative groups help each other improve their farms. They discuss new farming ideas and they decide the best times to plant and harvest crops.
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With the loans from One Acre, the cooperatives can buy better seeds, better equipment, and water irrigation technology. Together, they can compete with crops from other countries. They can sell their crops for a profit. And they pay back the loan to One Acre Fund.
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But these loans do not just help the farming cooperatives. When the farmers are able sell their food at low prices, it is good for the whole community. The community can buy good priced, local food. And it does not have to depend on food aid. When the farming gets better, the whole community improves! And the community does not have to worry about the hunger season.
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Each cooperative that works with One Acre chooses a name. They are names like Hope, Faith, Mercy, Grace, Happiness, and Success. Leonida Wanyama is a part of a One Acre cooperative called “Amua.” Amua means “to decide” in the Swahili language. Wanyama told Roger Thurow why they chose that name. She said,
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“We have decided to move from sadness to a land of plenty.”
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The writer of this program was Dianna Anderson. The producer was Mark Drenth. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, “Ending the Hunger Season.”
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We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.
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