Insert 1: Professor Calestous Juma

I think the most important message is for them to recognize ( признать ) that agriculture and the economy for Africa are one and the same ( одно и то же ). And that is the responsibility of an African president to modernise the economy and that means essentially starting with the modernisation of agriculture. And that they should stick with it and not hand it over to departmental (government) ministries.

Alice: Agriculture and economy are one and the same.

Yvonne: One and the same – a phrase which means they are identical. They are the

same – here that the economy in Africa is completely dependent on (зависит от) agriculture.

Alice: The BBC’s Science Reporter Neil Bowdler says Professor Juma is

thinking big.

Yvonne: Thinking big – he has large ambitions.

Alice: He believes it’s a question of political will.

Yvonne: Political will – if politicians want to make something happen, they will.

Insert 2: BBC’s Science Reporter Neil Bowdler

Professor Juma can't be accused of not thinking big. He says that with land and labour abundant ( изобильный ), Africa shouldn't be a hungry importer of food, but a major exporter. He says it's all a question of political will.

Alice: Juma can’t be accused of not thinking big.

Yvonne: That’s true. He says Africa has abundant land and labour.

Alice: Abundant – lots of, lots of land to grow crops on and lots of labour – lots of

people to work on farms.

Yvonne: But what about the detail of how this can happen? Large areas of Africa’s land

are desert or suffer from drought.

Alice: According to Neil Bowdler, Juma has a wish list.

Yvonne: A wish list – a list of things he would like to happen. What are they?

Alice: He wants to boost investment in roads – to carry crops and machines from

place to place.

Yvonne: Boost investment – increase the amount of money put into

agriculture. What else?

Alice: To boost investment in irrigation (орошение).

Yvonne: Irrigation – moving water from one place to another to make sure crops don’t

dry out (высохнуть).

Alice: And to mechanise farms – introduce big machines to help with the harvest and

process crops. He wants people to embrace what science can offer.

Yvonne: To embrace what science can offer – to take advantage of new technology.

Alice: In agriculture this might mean using genetically modified crops.

Yvonne: GM crops – crops that have been developed by scientists to be stronger or to

need less water to grow, so they may be less affected by climate change.

Alice: Let’s hear Neil Bowdler again.

Insert 3: BBC’s Science Reporter Neil Bowdler

The wish list - and some will call it that - is a long one. Boost investment in roads,

Irrigation and energy schemes. Mechanise all farms, and build storage and processing facilities ( здания для хранения и обработки ). He's also asking the continent to embrace what science can offer, and that includes using GM crops to combat climate change ( использование генетически модифицированных продуктов в борьбе с изменениями климата ).

Alice: So before we go Yvonne. Have you thought about our question from earlier?

Which are staple crops in Kenya? Rice, maize, wheat?

Yvonne: I said maize because that’s a staple crop in other African countries.

Alice: Well, it was a trick question because all three are grown in staple crops

in Kenya. Apparently rice not as much as wheat and maize but it’s catching up.

And before we go today, Yvonne would you mind reading some of the words

and phrases we’ve heard?

Yvonne: Not at all.

Agriculture (сельское хозяйство)

Self-sufficient (самодостаточный)

staple crop (основная культура)

Food-secure (пищевая безопасность)

Modernization

Thinking big (думать глобально)

Political will (политическая воля)

Abundant (изобильный)

Alice: Thanks very much, Yvonne. Beautifully read. We do hope you’ve had fun with us

today on 6 Minute English - and that you’ll join us again next time.

Both: Bye.

 

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