柬埔寨人对有机食品存在巨大需求

    Experts are urging Cambodian farmers to diversify their crops.
    专家督促柬埔寨农民多样化种植。

    Most farmers in Cambodia grow rice. Many also may grow cassava and maize. But very few farmers in the country grow other vegetables.
    大多数柬埔寨农民种植水稻。许多人还种植木薯和玉米。但是该国很少有农民种植其它蔬菜。

    And more Cambodians are demanding organic produce.
    而且越来越多柬埔寨人纷纷要求有机农产品。

    Sem Chantha is an organic vegetable farmer in Cambodia's Kampong Speu province. Her vegetables are pesticide-free. Depending on the season, she grows spinach, cauliflower, lettuce or collard greens on her six-hectare plot of land.
    Sem Chantha是柬埔寨磅士卑省一位种植有机蔬菜的农民。她的蔬菜不使用农药。她在自己六公顷土地上根据季节种植菠菜、菜花、莴笋或羽衣甘蓝。

    She says farmers earn money growing vegetables instead of rice. She also says locally grown vegetables taste much better than imported vegetables.
    她说,农民们种植蔬菜而不是水稻赚钱。她还表示,当地种植的蔬菜比进口蔬菜要好得多。

    "Vegetables can be sold for a higher price than rice and it takes only one and a half months to yield, then it is ready to harvest, while paddy rice takes six months to yield," Sem Chantha said.
    她说,“蔬菜售价比水稻高,而且出产蔬菜只需要半个月时间,然后就能收获。而出产水稻需要六个月时间。”

    A recent study from the World Bank shows strong growth in Cambodia's agriculture industry. This has helped reduce the number of people in poverty from seven million in 2007 to three million in 2012.
    世界银行一项最新研究表明柬埔寨农业产业强劲增长。这帮助了将贫困人口从2007年的7百万降低到2012年的3百万。

    Part of this growth has come from increased land cultivation for rice farming. But growth has slowed in the past two years. The World Bank says farmers need to increase their yield and grow more kinds of crops, such as vegetables.
    部分增长源自于提高了水稻种植的土地耕作。但是过去两年增速有所放缓。世界银行表示,农民们需要提高产量并种植多种作物,如蔬菜。

    The bank says vegetables earn average returns of $1,575 per hectare for small farmers. This compares to $544 per hectare of cassava and only $307 per hectare of rice.
    世界银行称,每公顷蔬菜能为小农户带来1575美元的平均收益。与此相比,木薯只有544美元,水稻只有307美元的收益。

    Difficulties remain
    困难犹存

    Chan Sophal is the director of the Center for Policy Studies for Cambodia Development. He says it will be difficult for farmers to change crops. Many of them may lack the skills, technology and investment money to grow vegetables.
    Chan Sophal是柬埔寨发展政策研究中心的负责人。他说,农民改种作物将会很难。他们中许多人缺乏种植蔬菜的技能、技术和资金投入。

    Most vegetables sold in Cambodia are imported from Vietnam and Thailand. The local competition means that there are no quick gains for Cambodian farmers.
    柬埔寨出售的许多蔬菜都是从越南和泰国进口。这种区域竞争意味着不能快速给柬埔寨农民带来好处。

    "You don't have the time for learning and trials; the poor can't do that," Chan Sophal said. "If they lose a crop, they lose a lot, they will be in debt."
    Chan Sophal说,“穷人没有学习和试验的机会。如果他们失去了庄稼就会失去很多,就会陷入债务中。”

    However, Mr. Sophal says that support from the government and private investment could help improve the situation. That support would also help farmers get more of the training they need.
    但是Sophal先生说,来自政府和私人投资的支持将有助于改善这种状况。这种支持也将会帮助农民获得更多他们所需的培训。

    "We can hopefully increase our production to the level where prices are brought down, so products like vegetables that are good for people's health are more affordable," he said.
    他说,“我们希望能够把产量提高到价格被压低的水平,这样对人们健康有益的蔬菜等产品就能更实惠。”

    Organic produce
    有机农产品

    The Cambodian Center for Study and Development in Agriculture (CEDAC) supports Cambodian farmers with training. The center also provides growers with a connection to the market. It has eight organic food stores in Phnom Penh as well as farmers' markets held in rural areas.
    柬埔寨农业研究和发展中心给柬埔寨农民提供了培训支持。该中心还向种植者提供与市场的连接。它在金边以及农村地区的农贸市场拥有8家有机食品专卖店。

    The center's president Yang Saing Koma says Cambodia is seeing more demand for organic vegetables. The demand is greater than local farmers can supply.
    该中心负责人Yang Saing Koma表示,柬埔寨看到有机蔬菜存在更大需求。这种需求超出了当地农民能够提供的水平。

    Mr. Koma says that it would take about 10,000 trained farmers to meet market demand. He says the government would have also have to help with promotion of organic vegetables.
    Koma先生表示,满足市场需求将会需要大约1万名受过培训的农民。他说,柬埔寨政府本来也应该来帮助推广有机蔬菜。

    "Through that, we can send out 200 experts nationwide to assist and facilitate farmers in vegetable farming, forming farmer communities and linking farms to the market," Koma said. "If this can be achieved, it will benefit the national economy."
    他说,“那样我们就能够向全国范围派遣200名专家协助和促进从事蔬菜种植业的农民,形成农民社区并将农场链接到市场。如果能做到这点,将会有利于国民经济的发展。”

    This would help keep the hundreds of millions of dollars spent each year on vegetable imports in Cambodia. He said it would also create work for local people.
    这将有助于把每年花在蔬菜进口上的数亿美元留在柬埔寨。他说,这也将会为当地人创造就业。

    Farmer Voun Chem switched from growing rice to organic vegetables eight years ago. He says he believes Cambodian consumers are choosing organic vegetables more and more, even though they are more costly.
    8年前,农民Voun Chem从种植水稻转向了有机蔬菜。他说,他认为柬埔寨消费者越来越多地选择有机蔬菜,即使它们更加昂贵。

    I'm Jonathan Evans.
    我是乔纳森·埃文斯。(51VOA.COM对本文翻译保留全部权利,未经授权请勿转载,违者必究!)