The Unsung Heroes Fighting Malnutrition | Shruthi Baskaran-Makanju | TED

翻译人员: Sammi Wang 校对人员: suya f.

As a lifelong vegetarian,

作为一名终身素食主义者，

the last few years of my career came as a surprise to many,

我职业生涯的最后几年 令许多人感到惊讶，

but perhaps most of all to my devout Hindu family

但也许最重要的是我崇拜奶牛的

that reveres cows,

虔诚印度教家庭，

when I started telling anyone who would listen:

当时我开始告诉 任何愿意倾听的人：

Africa needs more meat, not less.

非洲需要更多而不是更少的肉。

And for one reason: stunting.

原因只有一个：发育迟缓。

When you hear the word “malnutrition,”

当你听到 “营养不良” 这个词时，

you probably think of emaciated children.

你可能会想到瘦弱的孩子。

But stunting is a quieter crisis

但是发育迟缓是一种较为平静的危机，

characterized by lower height for age.

其特征是身高与年龄相比较低。

In sub-Saharan Africa,

在撒哈拉以南非洲，

the number of stunted children has increased by almost seven million

发育迟缓儿童的人数在过去二十年中

over the last two decades.

增加了近 700 万。

And stunting isn't just about height, though,

但是，发育迟缓不仅与身高有关，

it's about underdeveloped young brains.

还与发育不良的年轻人大脑有关。

It makes it harder for children to learn.

这使孩子们更难学习。

It makes their health care more expensive due to increased risk of infections,

由于感染风险增加， 这使得他们的医疗保健更加昂贵，

often for the people who can least afford it.

通常对于那些负担不起的人。

In fact, stunting costs Africa nearly 25 billion dollars

实际上，发育迟缓每年给非洲造成

every single year.

近 250 亿美元的损失。

It's holding an entire continent back.

它阻碍了整个大陆的发展。

I have been studying agriculture and nutrition issues

我研究农业和营养问题

for over a decade now,

已有十多年了，

and I can say this: there’s no answer to stunting in Africa

我可以这样说： 在非洲，如果不是以

that doesn't start and end with milk and meat.

牛奶和肉类开始和结束， 发育迟缓就没有答案。

Animal-sourced foods offer vital nutrients,

动物来源的食物 提供重要的营养素，

like complete essential amino acids,

例如完整的必需氨基酸

that are hard to obtain from plant-based foods.

这些营养素很难 从植物性食物中获取。

African children desperately need these nutrients but struggle to get them.

非洲儿童迫切需要 这些营养，但很难得到它们。

And I can almost hear you thinking:

而且我几乎能听见你在想：

"Isn't meat horrible for the environment, Shruthi?"

“肉不是对环境不好吗，Shruthi？”

And the answer is yes,

答案是肯定的，

if we're talking about the nearly 100 kilograms,

如果我们谈论 100 千克

astronomical 100 kilograms of meat,

像天文数字一样

that the average person consumes in the West,

西方普通人消耗的近 100 千克的肉

meat that mostly comes from commercial feedlots.

这些肉主要 来自商业饲养场。

When I say that Africa needs more meat,

当我说非洲需要更多肉类时，

I'm talking about a modest increase

我说的是与目前的

from the current average of 12 kilograms a year,

平均每年 12 千克相比略有增加

meat that mostly comes from Africa's pastoralists.

肉主要来自非洲的牧民。

If I just heard you say in your brain, "Africa's who?"

如果我听见你在脑海里说： “非洲是谁？”

you're not alone.

你并不孤单。

My husband, Bankole, grew up in Lagos,

我的丈夫班克尔在拉各斯长大，

the epicenter of Africa's largest economy.

拉各斯是非洲最大经济体的中心。

And as you can see,

正如你所看到的，

this man considers a meal without meat an affront to his existence.

这个人认为一顿不吃肉的饭 是对他存在的冒犯。

(Laughter)

（笑声）

And yet, when I started working on this topic,

但是，当我开始研究这个话题时，

he was surprised to learn it was these pastoralists

他惊讶地得知是这些牧民

who supplied his favorite ch'arki or tripe.

提供了他最喜欢的ch’arki或牛肚。

In fact, Nigeria's nearly 20 million pastoralists

实际上，尼日利亚近 2000 万牧民

own 90 percent of the cattle in the country.

拥有该国 90％ 的牛。

But they are also some of the most impoverished communities.

但他们也是一些最贫困的社区。

And I’ve been studying pastoral communities,

我一直在研究牧民社区，

not just in Nigeria but across Africa:

不仅在尼日利亚， 而且在整个非洲：

who they are, what they struggle with,

他们是谁，他们在与什么作斗争，

how they participate in modern livestock markets.

他们如何参与现代牲畜市场。

And it's led me to one conclusion.

这使我得出一个结论。

If milk and meat are the answer to Africa's nutrition challenges,

如果说牛奶和肉类 是非洲营养挑战的答案，

pastoralists are the answer

那么牧民就是我们

to how we scale milk and meat production sustainably for the continent.

如何可持续地扩大非洲大陆 牛奶和肉类生产的答案。

Pastoralists have effectively navigated harsh environments for centuries

几个世纪以来，牧民在没有 全球定位系统或地理空间数据

without GPS or geospatial data.

的情况下有效地在 恶劣的环境中航行。

In fact, long before countries even existed.

事实上，早在国家存在之前。

And yet today, the odds are stacked against them

然而今天，

as lakes dry up

随着湖泊枯竭，

and the pastures they historically used are fenced off for crop farming,

他们历来使用的牧场 被围起来用于农作物种植，

disputes over natural resources are keeping pastoralists locked

自然资源争端使牧民陷入困境

in a cycle of hardship and poverty.

和贫困的循环中， 他们面临的困难很大。

And this is a common story across Africa.

这是整个非洲的共同故事。

Earlier this year,

今年早些时候，

I traveled three hours south of Nairobi

我从内罗毕

to Kajiado County in Kenya,

向南行驶了三个小时 到达肯尼亚的卡贾多县，

where I met Lady Kilena, a 65-year-old Maasai pastoralist.

在那里我遇到了 65 岁 的马赛牧民基莱娜夫人。

Lady Kilena told me about her first manyatta,

基莱娜夫人向我 讲述了她的第一个manyatta

a usually circular hut made of grass and cow dung and twigs.

这是一间通常用草、 牛粪和树枝做成的圆形小屋。

And then she pointed to another steel structure on the compound

然后她指着大院 里的另一座钢结构说

and said that's what she built with profits from sales of milk.

那是她用牛奶销售的利润建造的。

Yet when I visited her,

然而，当我探望她时，

all of her animals had died during the most recent drought,

她所有的动物都是在最近的干旱中死亡的

and she was devastated

她很绝望

because her grandchildren had dropped out of school.

因为她的孙子们都辍学了

Efforts to help pastoralists like Lady Kilena

从历史上看，帮助像基莱娜

have historically been reactive,

夫人这样的牧民的努力一直是被动的，

focused on providing aid during really tough times.

重点是在非常艰难 的时期提供援助。

But pastoralists don't want handouts.

但是牧民不想要施舍。

They are rational business people with an intuitive knowledge of economics.

他们是理性的商人， 具有直观的经济学知识。

So instead of trying to force them to settle down

因此，与其 试图强迫他们安顿下来

and set up commercial feedlots,

并建立商业饲养场，

we need to help them bridge the old and the new

不如帮助公司

by helping companies work more directly with pastoralists,

更直接地与牧民合作，

by encouraging governments to pass pastoralist-friendly policies

鼓励政府通过有利于牧民的政策，

and invest in better data

投资更好的数据，

so that they can thrive in a modern economy

从而帮助他们在现代经济中蓬勃发展

and produce more milk and meat without sacrificing sustainability

在不牺牲可持续发展或文化的情况下， 生产更多的牛奶和肉类

or their culture.

从而帮助他们架起新旧的桥梁。

One thing is for sure though,

但是，有一点是肯定的，

we must demand more from businesses.

我们必须对企业提出更多要求。

Pastoralists today get taken advantage of by middlemen

如今，牧民被中间商所利用

who purchase their animals at half-price or lower in remote rural markets

他们以半价或更低的价格在 偏远的农村市场购买动物，

and sell those exact same animals to meat processors in the city

然后以两倍的价格 将完全相同的动物出售给

for double the price.

城市的肉类加工商。

And this leaves both the pastoralists and the meat processors

这让牧民 和肉类加工商都在

looking for a way to bridge the gap, not just in distance,

寻找弥合差距的方法， 不仅是距离上的差距，

but also prices.

也还有价格。

I met Tes Gabru,

去年，我在埃塞俄比亚首都亚的

the CEO of Luna Export Abattoirs

斯亚贝巴的 Luna Export Abattoirs

in Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia,

的屠宰场会

last year at his slaughterhouse.

见了他的首席执行官特斯·加布鲁。

And if you've ever heard the joke about what happens

说如果你听过一个笑话，

when a card-carrying vegetarian walks into a slaughterhouse,

当一个持卡的素食主义者 走进屠宰场时会发生什么，

well, you don't need to imagine much further,

那么，你无需进一步想象，

that was me.

那就是我。

Needless to say, I was extremely out of my comfort zone.

不用说，我已经完全 脱离了自己的舒适区。

But I left inspired

但是，我离开时

by Tes's commitment to use his business as a force for good.

从 Tes 承诺将自己的业务用作 向善的力量收到了启发。

Over the last eight years,

在过去的八年中，

Tes has been building a program

Tes 一直在制定

that treats pastoralists as equal partners.

一项将牧民 视为平等伙伴的计划。

He gives them essential support,

他为他们提供必要的支持，

like seeds for fodder or vaccines and access to vets at affordable cost.

例如饲料或疫苗的种子， 以及以可承受的价格获得兽医的机会。

And then he buys their animals at fair prices

然后他以合理的价格

and at the right age.

和合适的年龄购买他们的动物。

And usually that's around one year,

通常为一年左右，

compared to the African market average of four to five years.

而非洲市场的 平均水平为四到五年。

So you're saving on four years of grazing on natural resources

因此，您可以节省四年的 自然资源放牧

and associated methane emissions.

和相关的甲烷排放。

Once he buys those animals, he slaughters them humanely.

一旦他购买了这些动物， 他就会人道地屠杀它们。

And you can trust me when I say he slaughters them humanely.

当我说他人道地屠杀他们时， 你可以相信我。

And he sells that meat, not just in export markets,

他不仅在出口市场出售这些肉类，

而且在亚的斯亚的斯自己 的商店里出售这种肉，

but also in his own stores in Addis, boosting local meat consumption.

从而促进了当地的肉类消费。

That's a win-win scenario.

这是一个双赢的局面。

Tes hopes that this innovative model

当然，Tes希望这种创新模式

is going to double his revenue in two years,

能在两年内将他的收入翻一番，

sure, but it will also increase pastoralist household income

但它也将在短短三年内使牧民家庭收入

by 5x in just three years.

增加 5 倍。

That could rewrite the story of these pastoral economies.

这可能会改写这些牧民 经济的故事。

In fact, it is already inspiring companies not just in Ethiopia,

实际上，它已经激励了 埃塞俄比亚的公司，

but also Nigeria, Kenya and beyond.

也激励了尼日利亚、 肯尼亚及其他地区的公司。

But Tes and other companies agree

但是Tes和其他公司一致认为，

the success of programs like that can only go so far

只有在政府政策允许的情况下，

as government policies allow them to.

这样的计划才能取得成功。

And unfortunately,

不幸的是，撒哈拉以南非洲的

modern policies in sub-Saharan Africa tend to favor farming over herding

现代政策往往偏爱农业而不是放牧，

without recognizing how important pastoralists are,

却没有意识到牧民

not just to the economy but also to society.

不仅对经济 而且对社会的重要性。

There are a few forward-thinking African countries

有一些具有前瞻性思维的非洲国家

that have passed pastoralist-friendly policies.

已经通过了牧民友好政策。

Namibia, for instance, over the last two decades,

例如，纳米比亚 在过去的二十年中推出了

has rolled out a series of changes.

一系列的变革。

They wanted to prevent medication overuse in animals,

他们想防止动物过度使用药物，

so they banned antibiotics and hormones entirely.

因此他们完全禁止使用抗生素和激素。

They wanted to proactively prevent the spread of diseases,

他们想主动预防疾病传播，

so they instituted a live animal tracking system.

因此他们建立了活体 动物追踪系统。

And they wanted to improve animal quality,

他们想提高动物质量，

so they put in place animal husbandry practices.

因此他们制定了 畜牧业惯例。

The results have been astonishing.

结果令人惊讶。

After two decades of negotiations,

经过二十年的谈判，

Namibia became the first African country to export beef to the United States.

纳米比亚成为第一个 向美国出口牛肉的非洲国家。

And it's not just the US.

而且不只是美国。

Namibian beef is reaching South Africa, the EU,

纳米比亚牛肉也在进口 南非、欧盟、

Russia, China, too.

俄罗斯和中国。

But let me tell you, the real magic was not in exports or GDP.

但我要告诉你，真正的魔力不 在于出口或国内生产总值。

It's about how those reforms change the lives of pastoralists.

这是关于这些改革如何 改变牧民的生活。

Pastoralists now raise higher-quality animals

现在，牧民饲养的动物质量更高

that they can sell in these premium markets,

可以在这些优质市场上出售

and many of them are making up to 2,500 US dollars a year

其中许多人每年

just from meat sales.

仅靠肉类销售就能获得 高达2500美元的收入。

That's the average annual income in Namibia.

这是纳米比亚的平均年收入。

Not just that, they're also consuming affordable cuts of meat,

不仅如此，他们还食用 价格合理的肉块，

as well as more milk from their dual-purpose cattle.

以及来自两用牛的更多牛奶。

There's absolutely no doubt that there's more work to be done,

毫无疑问，还有更多工作要做，

especially in northern Namibia,

尤其是在纳米比亚北部，

but this is a much-needed step in the right direction

但这是朝着减少发育迟缓

towards reducing stunting and improving nutrition in the country.

和改善该国营养的正确方向 迈出的急需的一步

So why are more countries not following Namibia?

那么，为什么更多的国家 不效仿纳米比亚呢？

If I hear you thinking "data" --

如果我听到你在想 “数据” ——

bingo, that's the answer.

对的，这就是答案。

Pastoralists and their livestock,

牧民和他们的牲畜，

any data on that is so hard to find.

任何这方面的数据都很难找到。

So hard to find.

很难找到。

And what exists is often outdated, inaccurate

而且现有内容往往已经过时、不准确，

or simply buried in a stack of papers somewhere in a local government office.

或者只是埋在当地政府办公室 某处的一堆报纸中。

And listen, I'm a consultant.

听着，我是一名顾问。

I can talk about data gaps for years,

我可以谈论多年的数据缺口，

but we really need governments to invest in better-quality data.

但我们确实需要政府 投资于质量更好的数据。

Otherwise, how are these countries going to navigate to a new destination

否则，如果没有地图，

without a map?

这些国家将如何导航到新的目的地？

And sometimes what you need is a literal map,

有时你需要的是一张字面上的地图，

a map of pastoral migration routes

一张牧民迁徙路线图，

so that countries like Namibia can set up disease surveillance programs.

这样纳米比亚这样的国家 就可以建立疾病监测计划。

Or a map of livestock concentration

或者是牲畜集中度地图，

so that business owners like Tes can move their meat processing factories

这样像 Tes 这样的企业主 就可以搬迁肉类加工工厂

closer to where pastoralists live.

离牧民居住的地方更近。

And I'm not here to say there's a silver bullet

我来这里并不是说 有灵丹妙药，

because there aren't any.

因为根本没有。

And the history of pastoralists are riddled with neglect and stigma.

牧民的历史充斥着忽视和耻辱。

But I will say

但我要说的是，

that over the last few years of working with pastoral communities

在过去的几年中， 在与牧民社区合作的过程中，

I have been inspired by not just their resilience

我受到启发的不仅是他们的韧性，

but also their creativity.

还有他们的创造力。

Just the other day, I got a WhatsApp message from Tumal,

就在前几天，我收到了来自 肯尼亚牧民图马尔的WhatsApp消息，

a Kenyan pastoralist that traveled 1,000 kilometers by road

他走了 1000 公里的公路

to attend a conference I hosted in Nairobi earlier this year.

去参加我今年早些时候 在内罗毕举办的会议。

He was recounting how his wife had ingeniously used cotton,

他在讲述他的妻子 是如何巧妙地使用棉花、

plaster of Paris and acacia tree bark

巴黎石膏和相思树皮

to splint a young camel bull's fractured leg.

来夹住一头小骆驼公牛骨折的腿的。

The camel is doing great, by the way, he assured me of that.

顺便说一句， 他向我保证那只骆驼现在不错

But that resourceful act really shows us that pastoralists are willing to adapt,

但是这种足智多谋的举动 确实向我们表明，牧民愿意适应，

to incorporate modern veterinary practices right alongside ancient wisdom.

将现代兽医实践 与古代智慧融为一体。

And if we are to support them,

而且，如果我们要支持他们，

to bridge that gap between the traditional and the modern

弥合传统与现代之间的差距，

and help them scale up milk and meat production sustainably,

帮助他们可持续地扩大 牛奶和肉类产量，

I have no doubt that we will see them thrive.

我毫不怀疑我们会看到他们蓬勃发展。

And that, in turn,

这反过来

can pave the way for reduced stunting

可以为减少发育迟缓铺平道路

and a healthier, more promising future for all of Africa's children.

为所有非洲儿童创造 更健康、更光明的未来。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause and cheers)

（掌声和欢呼）