A new study in West Africa shows how farm irrigation systems powered by the sun can pro-duce more food and money for villagers.The study-in Benin found that solar - powered pumps are effective in 8upplying water, especially during the long dry season.
Sub - Saharan Africa is the part of the world with the least food security.The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that more” than one billion of the world' s people faced hunger last year.Around 265 million of them live’ south of the Sahara Desert: Lack of rainfalls one of their main causes of food shortages.
Jennifer Bumpy from Stanford University in Califomia led the study.The research team helped build three solar - powered drip irrigation -(滴灌),systems in northern Benin.Between 30 and 35 women used each system to pump water from the ground or a stream.Each woman was responsible for farming her own 120 squire meters of land. They also farmed other land collectively.
The solar - powered irrigation systems produced an average of nearly two tons of vegetables per month. During the first year, the women.kept a monthly average of almost rune kilograms of vegetables for home use.They sold the surplus produce at local markets. The earnings greatly increased their ability to buy food during the dry season which can last six to nine months.People in the’ two villages with the systems were able to eat three to five more servings of vegetables per day.But making the surplus available at markets also had a wider effect.
The study compared the villages with two others where women farmed with traditional methods like carrying water in buckets.The amount of vegetables eaten in those villages also increased, though not as much.The researchers note that only four percent of the cropland in sub - Saharan Africa is irrigated.Using solar power to pump water has higher costs at first.But the study says it can be more economical in the long term than using fuels like gasoline, diesel or kerosene.And solar power is environmentally friendly.
1.Food security in Sub - Saharan Africa is insufficient mainly because of
A.lack of rainfall B.limitation of farmland
C.a small crop variety D.little sunlight
2.From the third paragraph we know that .
A.water is wasted by using the system
B.the farmers migrate the land together
C.all farmers use irrigation systems in northern Benin
D.the solar - powered systems take up more manpower
3.The underlined word "surplus" in the 4th paragraph most probably means
A.special B.unnecessary C.extra D.abandoned
4.Using.solar power to pump water has advantages EXCEPT that
A.solar energy has higher cost at first
B.solar power helps to protect environment
C.solar power helps farmers increase earnings
D.solar energy can be more economical in the long run
5.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Manpower affects rainfall in Africa
B.Irrigation by carrying water in buckets
C.Solar - powered pumps aid African farmers
D.Vegetable supply increased in African villages
ABCAC
A. Profits enlarging B. Technology developing C. Education investing D. Benefits transferring E. Dominance disappearing F. A nation rising |
The following is an imaginary diary entry written by US president. This diary is part of Global Trends 2025, which was written by the US National Intelligence Council
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The
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Global wealth and economic power will shift from West to East.
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The transition from old fuels to new will be slow, as will the development of new technologies that present feasible alternatives to fossil fuels or help eliminate food and water problems. All current technologies are inadequate, and new ones will probably not be commercially possible by 2025