VOA慢速听力3篇As It Is【595-597】Rohingya Fearful of Modern...
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*【595】
AS IT IS
Indonesia’s Goal of Food Sovereignty Remains a Work in Progress
November 14, 2018
Farmers harvest corn in Purworejo, Indonesia, Jan. 4, 2017. The government decided to import 100,000 tons of corn for cattle feed until the end of the year.
Four years after taking office, Indonesian President Joko Widodo’s goal of food sovereignty continues to be a work in progress.
The president, known locally as “Jokowi,” believes Indonesians should be able to produce as much rice, corn and soy as the country needs. But the government’s decision to import 100,000 tons of corn for animal feed through the end of 2018 shows how far Indonesia is from the goal.
The Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture said the decision was made because the price of corn has risen as a result of transportation costs and other issues, not a decrease in production.
Agung Hendriadi is head of the Food Security Agency at the Ministry of Agriculture. He said that Indonesia produces enough corn to meet the local demand. “In fact, our production has a surplus,” he said.
As of 2018, the country produces 28.48 million tons of corn.
Food sovereignty vs. security
Dwi Andreas Santosa is a professor at the Bogor Agricultural Institute in Bogor, Indonesia. He says the idea of food sovereignty includes protecting farmers against what he called an unfair international trading system.
Santosa said that importing large amounts of commodities almost always hurts farmers. The goal of food sovereignty is different from food security, he added. Food sovereignty means a country can produce as much food as it needs. Food security means a country will find the food it needs, whether it be from production or imports.
The Indonesian National Statistics Agency reports that Indonesia increased its farm exports by 24 percent from 2016 to 2017. But Santosa argued the country’s needs for imported commodities has also increased.
“(Importing of) seven main commodities rose from 21.7 million tons in 2014 to 25.5 million tons in 2017. Last year, Indonesia became the biggest wheat importer,” he said, adding that Indonesia imported 12.5 million tons of wheat in 2017.
Wheat imports
Indonesian farmers cannot grow wheat in the country. And because the government reduced imports of corn by 60 percent, wheat imports for animal feed jumped by 1,500 percent between 2015 and 2016.
Hendriadi explained that his ministry has a program to change the commodities used in food production to reduce imports. They will use locally produced crops instead of using imports.
Widiyanto is with Oxfam, an alliance of 20 independent aid groups. He said Jokowi’s government needs to create a national food agency if it really wants food sovereignty.
In Indonesia, the agriculture ministry supervises the production of crops, while prices are controlled by the trade ministry. Farm stock is the responsibility of the Logistics Affairs Agency.
Widiyanto noted that Indonesia has lost more than 600,000 hectares of farmland over the past five years. That leaves the country with 7.1 million hectares of active land. But the majority of the farmers own less than 2 hectares of land.
The Oxfam official agreed with a presidential decree announced on October 10. The measure will guarantee land certification for farmers, enabling them to borrow money and take on more land. It also gives Indonesians rights to deal with local forestry issues.
Truthful information about production
The government has also admitted that a lack of correct, detailed information is one of the biggest problems for Indonesian agriculture.
Starting this year, rice production numbers will come only from the National Statistics Agency or BPS. Santosa said that the BPS does not have conflict of interest concerns, but other agencies might.
Santosa said the idea of food sovereignty should aim to increase the earnings of farmers since they are the most important people in food production.
Fewer farmers
At present, Indonesian agriculture is losing money and many farmers have left their fields for other work. Yet the government seems mainly concerned with the amount of production and export.
“Indonesia lost 5 million farmers who stopped farming activity in the last 10 years,” Widiyanto said.
But Hendriadi said he sees an improvement since the presidential decree.
“Jokowi’s program (for food sovereignty) is running well, we are already self-sufficient in rice,” he added.
I’m Susan Shand.
VOA’s Amanda Siddharta reported this story. Susan Shand adapted this story for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.
________________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
sovereignty – n. a country's independent authority and the right to govern itself
logistics – n. the things that must be done to plan and organize a complicated activity
stock – n. a share of the value of a company which can be bought, sold, or traded as an investment
decree – n. an official order given by a person with power or by a government
self-sufficient – adj. being able to meet one’s needs
certification – n. the act of documentation
commodity – n. a product of agriculture or mining
*【596】
AS IT IS
Rohingya Fearful of Modern Medicine, Keep Faith Healers in Business
November 14, 2018
In this photograph taken Aug. 24, 2018, Rohingya spiritual healer Abul Kalam, 60, right, recites verses from the holy Quran in Kutupalong refugee camp, Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Abul Kalam sits cross-legged on the floor of his small home and quietly says prayers into a small plastic bottle filled with water.
Kalam says he is creating a potion that will cure stomach pain. He says, “I got these powers in my dreams. People come to me because I heal them.”
Kalam is a faith healer, or boidu in the local language. For many years, he has been treating Rohingya Muslims, first in Myanmar’s Rakhine state and now at a camp in Bangladesh. Last year about 700,000 Rohingya took refuge in the camp after escaping a campaign of government violence at home.
Faith healers have long been sought out in Rohingya society to treat physical and mental conditions. Their business has survived, in part, because of traditional beliefs and partly because Rohingya rarely receive modern medical care in Myanmar, which has a Buddhist majority. They are considered one of the most persecuted minority groups in the world
Medical care has improved in Bangladesh. Thousands of aid workers there offer Rohingya everything from vaccinations to mental health support.
Doctors Without Borders operates four hospitals and 12 medical centers along the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. The group says it has provided help to 800,000 patients and admitted another 15,000 patients to hospitals since August 2017.
Yet many Rohingya still want their faith healers.
Sixty-year-old Kalam is a faith healer who arrived in Bangladesh in 2012. He says he receives more than five patients each day.
He says, “People come to me because they benefit from my power. That’s why they keep coming back.”
Myanmar officials have announced plans to begin bringing Rohingya back to Myanmar this week. Some rights groups have criticized the move. They say it is not yet safe in Rahkine state for the Rohingya.
Anita Saha is a mental health worker who has worked in the camps since August 2017. She says Rohingya refugees’ dependence on faith healers comes from a lack of understanding of science and doctors.
Saha says many refugees mistakenly believe they will lose their Islamic faith and become Christians if they take vaccinations for diseases. And in the case of mental conditions, she says, many believe it is caused by evil forces and can be healed with prayer.
“They believe in the boidus to overcome their problem,” Saha says. She says beliefs in the camps are slowly changing.
Ali Nesa has never known what is wrong with her teenage daughter. She spends her day lying on the floor of her family’s shelter in the refugee camp. She is unable to talk, walk or eat on her own.
Nesa says her daughter has been this way since she was three years old. At that time, she experienced epileptic seizures for nearly two weeks.
Nesa says, “I don’t know if her disease is due to an evil spirit or because of difficulty in breathing. If this is because of an evil spirit, then only a boidu can treat her. If it is a breathing problem, then a doctor may be able to help her.”
Nesa says none of the many boidus she has visited has been able to help her daughter and she is losing her faith in them. She is now interested in seeking medical help.
Climate extremes and unhealthy conditions make the camps a good place for diseases to spread and people to develop mental health problems.
That means there is plenty of work for doctors. It also means there is plenty of business for faith healers like Kalam, who does not care if people do not believe in his powers.
He says, “I can’t be worried by what people have to say. Maybe the doctor will say what does a boidu know? I don’t want to answer them. I don’t need to fight them.”
I’m Jonathan Evans.
The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. The editor was George Grow.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
potion – n. a drink that is meant to have a special or magical effect on someone
faith – n. religious belief
persecute – v. to treat (someone) cruelly or unfairly, especially because of race or religious or political beliefs
benefit – n. a good and helpful result
teenage – adj. one between the ages of 13-19
epileptic – adj. action caused by a disorder of the nervous system that can cause people to have violent, uncontrolled movements of the body
*【597】
AS IT IS
Officials: About 100 People Still Missing In California Fires
November 14, 2018
In this photograph taken Aug. 24, 2018, Rohingya spiritual healer Abul Kalam, 60, right, recites verses from the holy Quran in Kutupalong refugee camp, Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)
Abul Kalam sits cross-legged on the floor of his small home and quietly says prayers into a small plastic bottle filled with water.
Kalam says he is creating a potion that will cure stomach pain. He says, “I got these powers in my dreams. People come to me because I heal them.”
Kalam is a faith healer, or boidu in the local language. For many years, he has been treating Rohingya Muslims, first in Myanmar’s Rakhine state and now at a camp in Bangladesh. Last year about 700,000 Rohingya took refuge in the camp after escaping a campaign of government violence at home.
Faith healers have long been sought out in Rohingya society to treat physical and mental conditions. Their business has survived, in part, because of traditional beliefs and partly because Rohingya rarely receive modern medical care in Myanmar, which has a Buddhist majority. They are considered one of the most persecuted minority groups in the world
Medical care has improved in Bangladesh. Thousands of aid workers there offer Rohingya everything from vaccinations to mental health support.
Doctors Without Borders operates four hospitals and 12 medical centers along the border between Bangladesh and Myanmar. The group says it has provided help to 800,000 patients and admitted another 15,000 patients to hospitals since August 2017.
Yet many Rohingya still want their faith healers.
Sixty-year-old Kalam is a faith healer who arrived in Bangladesh in 2012. He says he receives more than five patients each day.
He says, “People come to me because they benefit from my power. That’s why they keep coming back.”
Myanmar officials have announced plans to begin bringing Rohingya back to Myanmar this week. Some rights groups have criticized the move. They say it is not yet safe in Rahkine state for the Rohingya.
Anita Saha is a mental health worker who has worked in the camps since August 2017. She says Rohingya refugees’ dependence on faith healers comes from a lack of understanding of science and doctors.
Saha says many refugees mistakenly believe they will lose their Islamic faith and become Christians if they take vaccinations for diseases. And in the case of mental conditions, she says, many believe it is caused by evil forces and can be healed with prayer.
“They believe in the boidus to overcome their problem,” Saha says. She says beliefs in the camps are slowly changing.
Ali Nesa has never known what is wrong with her teenage daughter. She spends her day lying on the floor of her family’s shelter in the refugee camp. She is unable to talk, walk or eat on her own.
Nesa says her daughter has been this way since she was three years old. At that time, she experienced epileptic seizures for nearly two weeks.
Nesa says, “I don’t know if her disease is due to an evil spirit or because of difficulty in breathing. If this is because of an evil spirit, then only a boidu can treat her. If it is a breathing problem, then a doctor may be able to help her.”
Nesa says none of the many boidus she has visited has been able to help her daughter and she is losing her faith in them. She is now interested in seeking medical help.
Climate extremes and unhealthy conditions make the camps a good place for diseases to spread and people to develop mental health problems.
That means there is plenty of work for doctors. It also means there is plenty of business for faith healers like Kalam, who does not care if people do not believe in his powers.
He says, “I can’t be worried by what people have to say. Maybe the doctor will say what does a boidu know? I don’t want to answer them. I don’t need to fight them.”
I’m Jonathan Evans.
The Associated Press reported this story. Susan Shand adapted it for VOA Learning English. The editor was George Grow.
Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page. ___________________________________________________________
Words in This Story
potion – n. a drink that is meant to have a special or magical effect on someone
faith – n. religious belief
persecute – v. to treat (someone) cruelly or unfairly, especially because of race or religious or political beliefs
benefit – n. a good and helpful result
teenage – adj. one between the ages of 13-19
epileptic – adj. action caused by a disorder of the nervous system that can cause people to have violent, uncontrolled movements of the body
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提示：关注漂泊者乐园微信公众号公众号后， 回复 d2 可收听查看所有《As It Is 》文章。
《As It Is 》栏目在本号自2018年4月初开始全马力运行，已经推文 591篇，每日仍在不断增加中。
亲爱的朋友，如果您能能坚持跟着本号听读，相信不用多久，您的英语听力一定会有极大的提高！