This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.
这里是美国之音慢速英语农业报道。
People who do not get enough vitamin A in their diet may develop night blindness. But in the developing world a lack of vitamin A causes much more serious harm to children. The World Health Organization links vitamin A deficiency to as many as two hundred fifty thousand child deaths every year.
饮食中缺乏维生素A可能会导致夜盲症。但缺乏维生素A会对发展中国家的儿童造成更严重的伤害。世界卫生组织将维生素A缺乏症与每年多达25万的儿童死亡联系了起来。
One excellent source of vitamin A is found in sweet potatoes with orange flesh. Orange sweet potatoes contain high levels of beta-carotene, which the body changes into vitamin A.
有着橙色果肉的甘薯被发现是维生素A的极佳来源。橙色甘薯含有高浓度的β-胡萝卜素，身体可以将其转化为维生素A。
Experts say orange sweet potatoes specially bred for growing conditions in Africa could help solve the lack of vitamin A there.
专家们表示，特别适合非洲生长条件的橙色甘薯可以帮助解决该地区维生素A的缺乏问题。
But, first, more people will need to be persuaded to eat them. Jan Low with the International Potato Center, a research organization, says the sweet potato needs a better image in Africa.
但是首先，需要说服更多的人们食用橙色甘薯。研究机构“国际马铃薯中心”的简·洛（Jan Low）称，甘薯在非洲需要一个更好的形象。
JAN LOW: "We do have an image problem with sweet potato in general in sub-Saharan Africa. It is seen as a crop of the poor."
洛：“总体来说，甘薯在撒哈拉以南非洲存在一个形象问题。它被视为穷人的食物。”
Ms. Low explains that sweet potatoes are mainly grown by poor women to feed their families in case another crop fails. The sweet potatoes commonly grown in Africa have white or yellow flesh. But, more importantly, they are low in vitamin A.
洛女士解释说，甘薯主要由贫穷妇女种植，在另一种作物欠收的情况下作为供养家庭的食物。在非洲通常种植的甘薯有着白色或黄色果肉。但更重要的是，他们维生素A含量低。
Jan Low took part in a project to study how best to market orange sweet potatoes to Africans. She worked on an information campaign in Mozambique and Uganda.
洛女士参加了一个项目，研究如何更好的将橙色甘薯引入非洲市场。她曾在莫桑比克和乌干达从事相关宣传活动。
The campaign included radio messages about the nutritional benefits of the orange sweet potato. They advertised its ability to "fight diseases, make you strong, clear your skin and make you look healthy."
该活动包括一些关于橙色甘薯营养价值的广播信息。他们宣传橙色甘薯的功能为“防治疾病，强壮身体，清洁皮肤，让你看起来更健康！”
In areas without radio, the campaigners spread the message through community theater. The performances included singing, dancing and storytelling.
在没有广播的地区，这项宣传活动通过社区剧场传播信息，表演形式包括唱歌，跳舞，讲故事。
And everywhere they went, the campaigners wore orange T-shirts and hats. They even drove orange vehicles. Jan Low says the color of the tuber made it easier to gain public attention.
他们每去一个地方，都穿戴橙色T恤衫和帽子，甚至开着橙色车辆。洛女士说，这种作物的颜色使其更容易获得公众的关注。
Dan Gustafson heads the Washington office of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. He points to efforts in the past to increase the popularity of other nutritious crops. He says most of these efforts failed because organizers of the campaigns did not consider what people wanted to eat.
丹·古斯塔夫森负责联合国粮农组织驻华盛顿办事处。他指出了过去在普及其他营养作物方面所做的努力。他表示，大部分的这种努力都失败了，因为活动组织者并未考虑人们想吃什么。
But Mr. Gustafson sees a better chance for the efforts to increase the popularity of the orange sweet potato in Africa. For one thing, except for the color, the vegetable is similar to what people already use.
不过古斯塔夫森认为，在非洲普及橙色甘薯的形势更好。一方面，除了颜色，橙色甘薯和人们正食用的甘薯比较类似。
DAN GUSTAFSON: "I think it is because you have got advertising and you have got a difference that is not radical, that I think it will work."
古斯塔夫森：“我认为，由于已经做了广告，同时橙色甘薯和人们正食用的甘薯没有根本的区别，我认为这次努力将获得成功。”