Zimbabwe Asks for Funding to Avoid Food Shortages

Please refresh the page to get the latest updates.

Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

shortage

Noun

ˈʃɔːrtɪdʒ

a state in which there is not enough of something

There is currently a shortage of jobs.

The shortage of water has affected the crops.

There is a severe water shortage here.

If public education doesn't receive better funding, we might see a shortage of qualified workers in the future.

drought

Noun

draʊt

a period of time with no or very little rain

The drought left the land barren.

Few kinds of trees can survive a drought.

If the drought continues, the state might have to restrict the water supply.

irrigation

Noun

ˌɪrəˈgeɪʃən

the supply of water to an area of land, usually for agricultural purposes

They managed to create irrigation systems and to shape the land in such way that they could use it for agriculture.

My grandpa developed a special irrigation system for his garden.

encourage

Verb

ɪnˈkɜːrɪdʒ, ɪnˈkʌrɪdʒ

to make someone want to do something

It is important for parents to encourage their children to read.

My personal trainer encourages me to work out often.

My company encourages interaction with people from a wide range of departments.

My favorite teacher encouraged me with her kind words.

conservation

Noun

ˌkɑːnsərˈveɪʃən

the act of protecting something from change, loss, injury, etc.

Conservation policies protect certain animals, such as pandas.

Conservation of nature has now become a duty of all human beings.

She is interested in the conservation of rainforests.

blame

Verb

bleɪm

to say or believe that someone is responsible for something bad

They both blamed each other.

Why are you always blaming me?

The president is blamed for weakening national security.

You can blame factories for the air pollution.

policy

Noun

ˈpɒlɪsi:

a plan or rule put in place or proposed by an organization or government

Surfing the Internet for personal use is against company policy.

Social policy is determined by the government.

There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government can't solve every problem.

We have a non-smoking policy in the office.

Exercise 2

Article

AI Generated Audio––:–– / ––:––

Zimbabwe Asks for Funding to Avoid Food Shortages

The government of Zimbabwe is asking for financial help to avoid food shortages in the country.

The government says nearly 2.5 million people in Zimbabwe are facing hunger.

The country is currently battling a drought that has affected much of southern Africa. The government blames the drought on El Niño.

David Phiri is the southern Africa coordinator with the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. He said Zimbabwe must invest in irrigation to prevent more food shortages.

He also said Zimbabwe and other governments should encourage conservation agriculture. The goal of conservation agriculture is to protect, improve and make more effective use of nature.

Although some observers blame Zimbabwe’s current food shortage on El Niño, others blame government policy.

Exercise 3

Questions

What has caused the drought in Zimbabwe?

What did David Phiri say Zimbabwe should invest in?

What 2 things do people in Zimbabwe blame the food shortages on?

Exercise 4

Discussion

Do you think what David Phiri said is important?

Do you think El Niño will cause more problems in the future?

Are there ever extreme weather conditions in your country?

Parts of this lesson are based on:

An article by Voice of America.