Could Women Solve the Food Crisis?

Could Women Solve the Food Crisis?
The U.N. holds a high-level conference on world food security this week in Rome. In Washington, a research group says greater investment in female farmers would increase agricultural productivity. Transcript of radio broadcast:
01 June 2008

This is the VOA Special English Development Report.

On Tuesday, the United Nations will open a "food summit" in Rome. Leaders and high-level officials from around the world will meet at the Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters. The F.A.O. says they will discuss the effects of rising food prices, limited resources, climate change, increased energy needs and population growth.

The United Nations agency says the three-day summit offers a historic chance to re-launch the fight against hunger and poverty. Another goal is to increase agricultural production in developing countries.

Poor countries will likely spend up to one hundred seventy billion dollars this year to import food -- up forty percent from last year.

A new report says agricultural prices should ease from their recent record highs. International prices for most crops have started to drop, mainly because of increased production.

But over the next ten years, food prices are expected to average well above levels of the past ten years. World grain supplies are low and need to be refilled, and food crops are being used to make biofuels.

The report came from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and the F.A.O.

The F.A.O. has suggested several measures to deal immediately with the situation. These include supplying food to at–risk populations and seeds, fertilizer and animal feed to local farmers.


But what about long-term answers to food security? The International Center for Research on Women says one answer is investing more in female farmers.
Rekha Mehra is the director for economic and development issues at the Washington-based nonprofit. She says improving women's ability to get resources and technology can directly increase agricultural productivity.

After all, women produce as much as eighty percent of the food in developing countries. In parts of Africa, for example, men are responsible for cash crops while women are generally responsible for food crops. And, around the world, women are the ones mainly responsible for their families’ nutrition.

Women farmers usually have to own land to receive loans and other resources. Yet, in many developing countries, women do not have property rights like men have.

Rekha Mehra says the right to own land will lead to greater investment in the land. She says world leaders need to think about these gender issues when they meet in Rome this week.

And that’s the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss.

----------------------------Google Translate

妇女可以解决粮食危机？
联合国举行一次高级别会议，关于世界粮食安全的，这周在罗马。在华盛顿，一个研究小组说，更大的投资在女农民，将提高农业生产率。全文电台广播：
2008年6月1日

这是美国之音特别英语发展报告。

对周二，联合国将打开一个“粮食首脑会议”在罗马。领导人和高级官员来自世界各地将举行会议，在粮食及农业组织总部。粮农组织说，他们将讨论的影响，不断增加的粮食价格，有限的资源，气候变化，增加了对能源的需求和人口增长。

联合国机构说，为期三天的首脑会议提供了一个历史性的机会，重新发起饥饿与贫困作斗争。另一个目标是要增加农业生产是在发展中国家。

贫穷国家可能会花费高达1700.00亿美元，今年进口粮食-高达4 0％ ，从去年。

一份新的报告说，农产品价格应纾缓从他们的最近历史最高纪录。国际价格对大多数作物已开始下降，这主要是由于增加生产。

但在未来十年，粮食价格预计将远高于平均水平，过去十年。世界粮食供应是低和需要加以补充，作物和粮食作物被用来制造生物燃料。

报告来自该组织经济合作与发展和粮农组织

粮农组织曾建议若干措施，以立即处理情况。这些措施包括提供食物，在高危人群中和种子，肥料和动物饲料，以当地农民。


但长期的答案粮食安全？国际妇女研究中心说，有一个答案是投入更多的在女农民。
rekha梅赫拉是主任的经济和发展问题在总部设在华盛顿的非营利组织。她说，提高妇女的能力，获得资源和技术可以直接提高农业生产率。

毕竟，妇女生产高达80 ％的食品是在发展中国家。在非洲部分地区，举例来说，男子是负责经济作物，而女性则通常负责粮食作物。和世界各地，妇女是那些主要负责自己家人的营养。

女农民通常要在自己的土地上得到的贷款和其他资源。然而，在许多发展中国家，妇女没有产权同男子一样有。

rekha梅赫拉说，拥有土地的权利，将导致更大的投资，在土地。她说，世界各国领导人认为有必要对这些性别问题开会时，在罗马这个星期。

这是该美国之音特别英语的发展报告，写的小杰苔。