3 reasons why we can win the fight against poverty | Andrew Youn

翻译人员: Xiang Li 校对人员: Tingting Zhong

I've been living in rural East Africa for about 10 years,

我在非洲的乡村生活了差不多10年，

and I want to share a field perspective with you on global poverty.

我想和你们分享关于全球贫困的前景。

I believe that the greatest failure of the human race

我认为人类最大的失败

is the fact that we've left more than one billion of our members behind.

是我们罔顾了十多亿我们的同类。

Hungry, extreme poverty:

饥饿，极端贫穷：

these often seem like gigantic, insurmountable problems,

这些巨大的无法驾驭的问题，

看起来已经严重到无法解决。

too big to solve.

But as a field practitioner,

但是从实践的角度，

I believe these are actually very solvable problems

我相信这些都是非常有可能解决的问题，

if we just take the right strategies.

只需采取正确的战略。

Archimedes was an ancient Greek thinker,

阿基米德是古希腊的思想家，

and he taught us that if we lean on the right levers,

他教会我们 ‘如果用对杠杆的话，

我们可以翘起地球。’

we can move the world.

In the fight against extreme poverty, I believe there are three powerful levers

在与极端贫穷的抗争中，我相信有以下三个

that we can lean on.

我们可以依靠的有力杠杆。

This talk is all about those levers, and why they make poverty

这个演讲就是关于这些杠杆的，

以及为什么它们可以战胜贫穷。

a winnable fight in our lifetimes.

What is extreme poverty?

什么是极端贫穷？

当我第一次到达东非农村的时候，

When I first moved to rural East Africa,

I stayed overnight with a farm family.

在一个农民家庭里住了一晚。

They were wonderful people.

他们都是很好的人。

They invited me into their home. We sang songs together

他们邀请我去家里。

我们一起唱歌，吃了简单的晚餐，

and ate a simple dinner.

They gave me a blanket to sleep on the floor.

他们还给我毯子铺在地上睡觉。

In the morning, however, there was nothing to eat.

然而到了早上，什么吃的都没有。

And then at lunchtime, I watched with an increasingly sick feeling

然后到了午餐时间，家里的大女儿煮了一些

as the eldest girl in the family cooked porridge as a substitute for lunch.

让人看到有些反胃的粥，当作午饭。

For that meal, every child drank one cup to survive.

那一餐中，每个孩子都只喝一杯粥果腹。

当他们也递给我一杯的时候，

And I cannot tell you how ashamed I felt

when they handed one of those cups to me,

我惭愧的无以言表。

and I knew I had to accept their hospitality.

然而我必须接受他们的款待。

Children need food not only to survive but also to grow physically and mentally.

食物之于孩子，不仅仅用来果腹，还用来发育身体和智力。

Every day they fail to eat, they lose a little bit of their future.

对他们来说，多一天饥饿，就少一点未来。

Amongst the extreme poor, one in three children

在极度贫穷中，每三个孩子中就有一个，

are permanently stunted from a lifetime of not eating enough.

由于食物短缺而造成终生发育不良。

When that's combined with poor access to health care,

贫穷带来的医疗资源短缺，

one in 10 extremely poor children die before they reach age five.

让十分之一的孩子在5岁之前夭折。

And only one quarter of children complete high school

只有四分之一的孩子完成了高中学业，

because they lack school fees.

因为剩下的四分之三交不起学费。

Hunger and extreme poverty curb human potential in every possible way.

饥饿和极度贫穷，

从各方面极大地遏制了人类的发展潜力。

We see ourselves as a thinking, feeling and moral human race,

我们自认为是有思想、有感受、有道德的人类，

but until we solve these problems for all of our members,

但如果我们不为自己的同类解决这些问题，

we fail that standard,

我们就汗颜于这个标准。

because every person on this planet matters.

因为这个星球上的每个人都重要。

This child matters.

这个孩子，重要，

These children matter.

这些孩子，重要，

This girl matters.

这个女孩儿，也重要。

You know, we see things like this,

当看到这些的时候，

and we're upset by them,

我们为他们感到难过，

but they seem like such big problems.

我们意识到了问题的严重性，

We don't know how to take effective action.

但却不知道采取什么样的有效行动。

But remember our friend Archimedes.

还记得我们的朋友阿基米德吗？

Global poverty has powerful levers.

解决全球贫困有一个有力的杠杆，

It's a problem like any other.

与其它问题无异。

I live and work in the field, and as a practitioner,

做为生活和工作在这一领域的实践者，

I believe these are very solvable problems.

我相信这些问题都可以解决。

So for the next 10 minutes,

接下来的十分钟，

let's not be sad about the state of the world.

让我们停止悲伤，

Let's engage our brains.

让我们转向头脑，

Let's engage our collective passion for problem-solving

凝聚我们的热情来解决问题，

and figure out what those levers are.

来找出那些杠杆。

Lever number one: most of the world's poor are farmers.

杠杆一：世界上最穷的人中，大部分是农民。

Think about how extraordinary this is.

想想看这有多么不寻常。

If this picture represents the world's poor,

如果这张图代表了世界范围的穷人，

then more than half engage in farming as a major source of income.

那么这中间有超过一半儿的人，他们的主要收入来自耕种。

This gets me really excited.

这一发现让我很振奋。

All of these people, one profession.

所有这些人，拥有同一种职业。

Think how powerful this is.

如此大的力量。

When farmers become more productive, then more than half the world's poor

如果农民的生产力提高，那么世界上贫困人口中有

一半人的收入将会增加，并且脱离贫困。

earn more money and climb out of poverty.

And it gets better.

不仅如此，

The product of farming is, of course, food.

耕种的产品是食物。

So when farmers become more productive, they earn more food,

因此当农民的生产力提高，他们获得更多食物。

and they don't just help themselves,

除了喂饱自己，

but they help to feed healthy communities and thriving economies.

他们还可以向其它地区供应粮食，同时振兴了经济。

And when farmers become more productive, they reduce environmental pressure.

当农民的生产力提高，环境压力也随之降低。

We only have two ways we can feed the world:

解决全球粮食问题只有两种办法：

we can either make our existing farmland a lot more productive,

要么极大提升现有耕种土地的出产率，

or we can clear cut forest and savannah to make more farmland,

要么伐木逐原，创造更多的耕地，

which would be environmentally disastrous.

使环境变得更糟。

Farmers are basically a really important leverage point.

农民可以说是最重要的杠杆支点。

When farmers become more productive,

当农民的生产力提高，

they earn more income, they climb out of poverty,

收入也随之提高，脱离了贫穷，

they feed their communities and they reduce environmental land pressure.

他们不仅养活了自己的社区，还减少了环境压力。

Farmers stand at the center of the world.

农民是世界的中心。

And not a farmer like this one,

通常，农民不是这样的，

but rather this lady.

而是像这位女士一样。

Most of the farmers I know are actually women.

事实上我认识的大部分农民都是女性。

Look at the strength and the will radiating from this woman.

看她身上的力量，和传递出的愿望。

She is physically strong, mentally tough,

她身体强壮，精神顽强，

and she will do whatever it takes to earn a better life for her children.

为了让孩子生活的更好，她可以做任何事情。

If we're going to put the future of humanity in one person's hands,

如果非要将人类的未来交到某个人手里，

then I'm really glad it's her.

那么我真心希望那个人是她。

(Applause)

（掌声）

There's just one problem:

只是有一个问题：

many smallholder farmers lack access to basic tools and knowledge.

许多贫农很难获得最基本的工具和知识。

Currently, they take a little bit of saved food grain from the prior year,

目前，他们从上一年的存粮里拿出一点，用来播种，

they plant it in the ground and they till it with a manual hand hoe.

这一切都是手工用锄头完成的。

These are tools and techniques that date to the Bronze Age,

这些都是青铜器时代的工具和技术，

and it's why many farmers are still very poor.

这就是为什么许多农民，一直无法摆脱贫穷。

But good news, again.

但是好消息是，

Lever number two:

我们有第二个杠杆：

humanity actually solved the problem of agricultural poverty a century ago.

事实上，早在一个世纪前，人类就解决了农业贫困的问题。

Let me walk you through the three most basic factors in farming.

让我们来复习一下农业中的三个基本元素。

First, hybrid seed is created when you cross two seeds together.

第一，杂交种子是将两种种子结合在一起。

If you naturally pollinate a high-yielding variety

如果将高产品种和抗旱品种自然杂交，

together with a drought-resistant variety,

you get a hybrid that inherits positive traits from both of its parents.

得到的是继承了母本和父本优秀性状的杂交品种。

Next, conventional fertilizer, if used responsibly,

然后是传统肥料，如果以负责任的态度使用的话，

is environmentally sustainable.

是环保、可持续发展的。

If you micro-dose just a pinch of fertilizer

即便只是捏一小撮，

to a plant that's taller than I am,

洒在比我还高的植物上，

you unlock enormous yield gain.

将会得到巨大的产量。

These are known as farm inputs.

这些就是农业投入。

Farm inputs need to be combined with good practice.

农业投入需要与良好的实践相结合。

When you space your seeds and plant with massive amounts of compost,

播种或种植之后使用大量的堆肥，

farmers multiply their harvests.

农作物的产量会倍增。

These proven tools and practices have more than tripled

这些工具和实践，在世界范围的许多地区，

agricultural productivity in every major region of the world,

使农作物产量成三倍增长，

moving mass numbers of people out of poverty.

使大量人民脱离贫困。

We just haven't finished delivering these things to everybody just yet,

但是我们并没有把这些知识传递给所有人，

particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.

尤其是非洲撒哈拉以南的地区。

So overall, this is amazing news.

总的来说，这是好消息。

Humanity actually solved agricultural poverty a century ago,

事实上，人类在一个世纪前就解决了农业贫困，

in theory.

不过是理论上的。

We just haven't delivered these things to everybody just yet.

我们还没有将这些知识教给所有人。

In this century, the reason that people remain poor

本世纪中，使得人们还留在贫困中的，

is because maybe they live in remote places.

也许是因为他们居住在闭塞的地区。

They lack access to these things.

他们无法得知这些知识。

Therefore, ending poverty is simply a matter

因此想要结束贫困，

只需要向人们提供这些已知有效的工具和服务。

of delivering proven goods and services to people.

We don't need more genius types right now.

不需要天才，

The humble delivery guy is going to end global poverty in our lifetime.

谦卑的传递者，就可以在我们有生之年里结束全球贫困。

So these are the three levers,

所以这就是三个杠杆，

and the most powerful lever is simply delivery.

而最有力的一个，是简单的传递。

Wherever the world's companies, governments and nonprofits

无论在哪儿，公司、政府、慈善组织，

set up delivery networks for life-improving goods,

只要传递改善生活的产品，

we eliminate poverty.

我们就可以消灭贫穷。

OK, so that sounds really nice in theory,

好吧，理论上听起来不错，

but what about in practice?

但是实践起来呢？

What do these delivery networks look like?

运输网络看起来如何？

I want to share the concrete example that I know best,

我想分享一个我很了解的具体案例，

my organization, One Acre Fund.

我的组织，‘一亩基金’。

We only serve the farmer,

我们只为农民服务，

and our job is to provide her with the tools that she needs to succeed.

我们的工作是向她提供所需的工具。

We start off by delivering farm inputs to really rural places.

最开始，我们向那些真正贫穷的乡村输送耕地知识。

Now, this may appear initially very challenging,

刚开始看起来非常具有挑战性，

but it's pretty possible. Let me show you.

但可行性非常高。我来展示给你们看。

We buy farm inputs with the combined power of our farmer network,

在网络内的农民的帮助下，我们购买农业投入物资，

and store it in 20 warehouses like this.

并把他们储存在20个像这样的仓库里。

Then, during input delivery, we rent hundreds of 10-ton trucks

为了运输物资，我们租用上百辆10吨载重量的卡车，

and send them out to where farmers are waiting in the field.

把它们送到，在地里等着的农民们的手里。

They then get their individual orders and walk it home to their farms.

当拿到了各自的订单到了之后，它们就将其带回自家的农场里。

It's kind of like Amazon for rural farmers.

这有点儿像是农民版的亚马逊。

Importantly, realistic delivery also includes finance, a way to pay.

重要的是，实际传递的还不只是物资，还有更周到的付费方式。

Farmers pay us little by little over time, covering most of our expenses.

农民们会分期每次付给我们一点儿，这承担了我们大部分费用。

And then we surround all that with training.

然后这笔费用被我们用来投入培训。

Our rural field officers deliver practical, hands-on training

我们的农地办事员，为地里的农民

提供实用的、手把手的培训。

to farmers in the field

every two weeks.

每两周一次。

Wherever we deliver our services, farmers use these tools

我们提供服务的地方，农民都用这些工具

to climb out of poverty.

来脱离贫穷。

This is a farmer in our program, Consolata.

这就是我们项目中其中一个农民，康索拉达。

Look at the pride on her face.

看她脸上那自豪的表情。

She has achieved a modest prosperity that I believe is the human right

她达到了一定程度的繁荣，

我相信这是地球上任何一个劳作者的人权。

of every hardworking person on the planet.

Today, I'm proud to say that we're serving about 400,000 farmers like Consolata.

今天，我可以自豪地说，我们服务了四十万个像康索拉达一样的农民。

(Applause)

（掌声）

The key to doing this is scalable delivery.

做到这点的关键，是扩展性传递。

In any given area, we hire a rural field officer

在每一个指定地区，我们都雇用一名田间办事员，

who delivers our services to 200 farmers, on average,

来向平均200名农民运送我们的服务，

with more than 1,000 people living in those families.

这200名农民的家人总数超过1000人。

Today, we have 2,000 of these rural field officers

今天，我们有2000名这样的田间办事员，

growing very quickly.

并且还在不断增多。

This is our delivery army,

这就是我们的传递 ‘武器’，

and we're just one organization.

而我们只是其中一个组织。

There are many companies, governments and nonprofits

还有许多其它的公司、政府和非盈利组织，

that have delivery armies just like this.

它们都有像这样的传递 ‘武器’。

And I believe we stand at a moment in time

并且我相信，我们所处的时代，

where collectively, we are capable of delivering farm services to all farmers.

通过集体努力，我们有能力做到，向所有农民提供服务。

Let me show you how possible this is.

让我向你们展示这个可能性。

This is a map of Sub-Saharan Africa,

这是非洲撒哈拉以南的地图，

with a map of the United States for scale.

以及等比例的美国地图。

I chose Sub-Saharan Africa because this is a huge delivery territory.

我选择非洲撒哈拉以南，是因为这是一个巨大的运送范围。

It's very challenging.

非常具有挑战性。

But we analyzed every 50-mile by 50-mile block on the continent,

但是通过把它拆分成50英里的区域进行分析，

and we found that half of farmers live in just these shaded regions.

我们发现有一半的农民都生活在阴影区域。

That's a remarkably small area overall.

合在一起是个非常小的区域。

If you were to lay these boxes next to each other

如果把这些区域一个挨一个地，

within a map of the United States,

摆在美国地图上，

they would only cover the Eastern United States.

仅仅覆盖了美国东部。

You can order pizza anywhere in this territory

你可以在这片国土上的任何地方叫披萨外卖，

and it'll arrive to your house hot, fresh and delicious.

等披萨送到的时候，还是热的、新鲜的、美味的。

If America can deliver pizza to an area of this size,

如果美国可以在这样大的区域里送披萨，

then Africa's companies, governments and non-profits

那么非洲的公司、政府和非盈利组织，

can deliver farm services to all of her farmers.

也可以向所有的农民运送农业服务。

This is possible.

这是可行的。

I'm going to wrap up by generalizing beyond just farming.

我想以超越耕种的总结来收尾。

In every field of human development,

在人类发展的每个领域，

humanity has already invented effective tools to end poverty.

人类都发明了各种有效工具来终结贫穷。

We just need to deliver them.

我们只需传递它们。

So again, in every area of human development,

再说一次，在人类发展的每一个领域，

super-smart people a long time ago invented inexpensive,

那些极其聪明的人在很久之前就发明了廉价的、

highly effective tools.

高效的工具。

Humanity is armed to the teeth

为了抵抗贫穷，人类已经用简单、有效的武器，

with simple, effective solutions to poverty.

武装到了牙齿。

We just need to deliver these to a pretty small area.

我们只需将这些运送到非常小的区域。

Again using the map of Sub-Saharan Africa as an example,

再以这张非洲撒哈拉以南的地图为例，

remember that rural poverty is concentrated in these blue shaded areas.

请记住，那些乡村贫穷都集中在蓝色阴影区域。

Urban poverty is even more concentrated, in these green little dots.

城市贫穷更加集中，在这些绿色的小点上。

Again, using a map of the United States for scale,

再来看等比例的美国地图，

this is what I would call a highly achievable delivery zone.

我认为这个大小的区域，是极易覆盖运送网的。

In fact, for the first time in human history,

实际上，这是人类有史以来第一次，

we have a vast amount of delivery infrastructure available to us.

我们有能力运送设备到如此广大的地区。

The world's companies, governments and non-profits

世界范围的公司、政府和非营利组织，

have delivery armies that are fully capable

都有足够的运送 ‘武器’，

of covering this relatively small area.

来覆盖这片相对小的地区。

We just lack the will.

我们只是缺少意愿。

If we are willing,

如果我们愿意，

every one of us has a role to play.

我们中的每个人都可以参与进来。

We first need more people to pursue careers in human development,

首先我们需要更多的人去追随人类发展的事业，

especially if you live in a developing nation.

尤其是生活在发展中地区的人。

We need more front line health workers, teachers, farmer trainers,

我们需要更多的冲在前线的工人、教师、农民培训员，

sales agents for life-improving goods.

提升生活产品的销售人员。

These are the delivery people that dedicate their careers

这些传送者愿意将自己的事业奉献于

to improving the lives of others.

提升他人生活。

But we also need a lot of support roles.

但我们也需要大量的支持者。

These are roles available at just my organization alone,

这些仅仅是在我的组织中的不同分工的支持者，

and we're just one out of many.

然而我们只是众多组织之一。

This may surprise you, but no matter what your technical specialty,

你也许不相信，但无论你拥有何种技术，

there is a role for you in this fight.

你都可以参与到这场战斗中。

And no matter how logistically possible it is to end poverty,

无论在逻辑上有多少摆脱贫困的可能性，

we need a lot more resources.

我们依然需要更多的资源。

This is our number one constraint.

这是对我们最大的约束

For private investors, we need a big expansion of venture capital,

对于私人投资者来说，我们需要大量的启动资金、

private equity, working capital, available in emerging markets.

私募股权、运营资金，出现在新兴市场中。

But there are also limits to what private business can accomplish.

但私有企业能做到的还是有限的。

Private businesses often struggle to profitably serve the extreme poor,

私有企业挣扎在为赤贫服务和盈利之间，

so philanthropy still has a major role to play.

因此更多的还是要依靠慈善人士。

Anybody can give, but we need more leadership.

所有人都可以出力，但我们需要更多的领导力。

We need more visionary philanthropists

我们需要更多有远见的慈善家，

and global leaders who will take problems in human development

以及能发现人类发展问题的全球领袖，

and lead humanity to wipe them off the face of the planet.

带领人类将它们从地球上消除。

If you're interested in these ideas, check out this website.

如果你对这些想法感兴趣的话，请登陆这个网站。

We need more leaders.

我们需要更多的领袖。

Humanity has put people on the moon.

人类已经可以登月，

We've invented supercomputers that fit into our pockets

我们还发明了口袋大小的超级电脑，

and connect us with anybody on the planet.

使我们可以与地球上任何人链接。

We've run marathons at a five-minute mile pace.

我们可以用每公里5分钟的速度跑完马拉松，

We are an exceptional people.

我们是出类拔萃的人类。

But we've left more than one billion of our members behind.

但我们却把十几亿同类忘在脑后。

Until every girl like this one has an opportunity

直到所有的女孩儿，都像她一样，

to earn her full human potential,

有机会全面发展她的人类潜能，

we have failed to become a truly moral and just human race.

我们才配称做真正有道德的、公正的人类。

Logistically speaking, it's incredibly possible

逻辑上来说，终结极端贫穷的可能性，

to end extreme poverty.

大到难以置信。

We just need to deliver proven goods and services

我们只需要向穷人运送物资和服务，

to everybody.

向每一个人。

If we have the will, every one of us has a role to play.

如果我们愿意，每个人都可以参与进来。

Let's deploy our time, our careers,

让我们重整我们的时间、我们的事业、

our collective wealth.

我们的集体财富。

Let us deliver an end to extreme poverty

让我们在有生之年，

in this lifetime.

终结极端贫穷。

Thank you.

谢谢。

(Applause)

（掌声）