I’m going to report on a case study of a programme which has been set up to help rural populations in Mozambique, a largely agricultural country in South-East Africa.

我将要向大家介绍一个项目的实例分析。该项目的成立是为了帮助莫桑比克的农村人口。莫桑比克是非洲东南部的农业大国。

The programme worked with three communities in Chicualacuala district, near the Limpopo River.

该项目与林波波河附近的奇夸拉夸拉地区的三个团体合作。

This is a dry and arid region, with unpredictable rainfall.

这个地区气候干燥，降水不规律。

Because of this, people in the area were unable to support themselves through agriculture and instead they used the forest as a means of providing themselves with an income, mainly by selling charcoal.

正因如此，该地区居民单靠农业难以维持生计。所以当地居民依靠森林资源获得收入，主要通过售卖木炭。

However, this was not a sustainable way of living in the long term, as they were rapidly using up this resource.

然而，这种方式却不能够长期维持，因为他们快速消耗了森林资源。

To support agriculture in this dry region, the programme focused primarily on making use of existing water resources from the Limpopo River by setting up systems of irrigation, which would provide a dependable water supply for crops and animals.

为了支持这一干燥地区的农业，该项目主要专注于使用林波波河的现有水资源来建立灌溉系统，为作物和动物提供可靠水源。

The programme worked closely with the district government in order to find the best way of implementing this.

该项目还与地区政府紧密合作，目的是确定最好的执行办法。

The region already had one farmers’ association, and it was decided to set up two more of these.

这一地区已经有一个农民协会，但是该项目决定再建立两个协会。

These associations planned and carried out activities including water management, livestock breeding and agriculture, and it was notable that in general, women formed the majority of the workforce.

这些协会安排开展许多活动，包括水力管理，牲畜养殖和农业活动等等。值得注意的是普遍来说女性成为主要劳动力。

It was decided that in order to keep the crops safe from animals, both wild and domestic, special areas should be fenced off where the crops could be grown.

为了确保作物免受野生动物和家畜破坏，项目决定将作物生长区域作为特别区域，并用围栏隔开。

The community was responsible for creating these fences, but the programme provided the necessary wire for making them.

社区负责立好围栏，项目组则提供制作围栏必要的铁丝。

Once the area had been fenced off, it could be cultivated.

一旦隔出了专属区域，就可以发展农耕。

The land was dug, so that vegetables and cereals appropriate to the climate could be grown, and the programme provided the necessary seeds for this.

人们翻整土地，种植适合气候条件的蔬菜和谷类作物。该项目还提供了必需的种子。

The programme also provided pumps so that water could be brought from the river in pipes to the fields.

除此之外，该项目还提供了水泵将河流的水通过管道泵向田地。

However, the labour was all provided by local people, and they also provided and put up the posts that supported the fences around the fields.

但是，当地居民提供劳力，还拿来杆子，将它们立起来支撑田地附近的围栏。

Once the programme had been set up, its development was monitored carefully.

项目一经建立，其发展受到全面的监管。

The farmers were able to grow enough produce not just for their own needs, but also to sell.

农民们能够种植充足的作物满足自己生活和售卖的需求。

However, getting the produce to places where it could be marketed was sometimes a problem, as the farmers did not have access to transport, and this resulted in large amounts of produce, especially vegetables, being spoiled.

然而将农产品送到能够交易的市场又成了问题，因为农民们并没有合适的交通工具。这就导致了大量的农产品腐烂，尤其是蔬菜。

This problem was discussed with the farmers’ associations and it was decided that in order to prevent food from being spoiled, the farmers needed to learn techniques for its preservation.

该项目与农民协会讨论之后决定，为了避免食物腐烂，农民们需要学习保鲜技术。

There was also an additional initiative that had not been originally planned, but which became a central feature of the programme.

还有另外一个方案，这个方案最初并没有被提出，但是却成为了该项目的核心特色。

This was when farmers started to dig holes for tanks in the fenced-off areas and to fill these with water and use them for breeding fish - an important source of protein.

方案提议农民可以在没有被围起的区域挖坑储水，用来养鱼。鱼是蛋白质的重要来源。

After a time, another suggestion was made by local people which hadn’t been part of the programme’s original proposal, but which was also adopted later on.

一段时间之后，该项目又采纳了当地居民提出的，一开始没有包括在最初提议中的另一条建议。

They decided to try setting up colonies of bees, which would provide honey both for their own consumption and to sell.

他们决定建巢养蜂。这可以为自用和销售提供蜂蜜。

So what lessons can be learned from this programme?

那么我们可以从这个项目中学到什么呢？

First of all, it tells us that in dry, arid regions, if there is access to a reliable source of water, there is great potential for the development of agriculture.

首先，这个经验告诉我们在干旱地区，只要有可靠的水源，就有发展农业的机会。

In Chicualacuala, there was a marked improvement in agricultural production, which improved food security and benefited local people by providing them with both food and income.

在奇夸拉夸拉，农业生产的发展可圈可点。它提高了食品安全，造福了当地居民，为他们提供了食物，创造了收入。

However, it’s important to set realistic timelines for each phase of the programme, especially for its design, as mistakes made at this stage may be hard to correct later on.

然而，为项目的每个阶段设立符合现实情况的时间线很重要，尤其是设计阶段，因为这一时期的错误可能很难在后期被纠正。

The programme demonstrates that sustainable development is possible in areas where …

这一项目展示了在某些地区可持续发展的可能性，像是……