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We totally underestimate the importance of our smallholder farmers.
我们完全低估了小型养殖户的重要性。
We're beginning to recognize how important they are and how they influence our medical health,
我们现在开始认识到他们有多重要，还有他们会如何影响我们的医疗健康，
our biosafety and more recently, our cognitive and our physical health.
生物安全，还有最近提出的认知健康和生理健康。
They stand at the frontline of zoonotic epidemics.
他们站在人畜共患病流行的前线。
They pretty much underpin our existence.
他们可以说就是我们赖以生存的基础。
And they need to know so much, yet most lack knowledge on livestock disease prevention and treatment.
他们有太多需要去了解，然而，他们大多恰恰缺少有关于牲畜疾病预防和治疗方面的知识。
So how do they learn? Apart from shared experiences, trial and error,
所以他们从何了解呢？除了通过共享的经验，通过反复的试验试错，
conventional farming extension services are boots on the ground and radio
传统农业的推广服务和无线电广播，
expensive and hard to scale in the face of population growth.
在面对人口增长时，这显得不够经济也难以衡量成效。
Sounds pretty gloomy, doesn't it? But we're at an interesting point in Africa.
听起来挺沮丧的是吧？但是我们处在对于非洲来说一个非常有趣的时间节点上。
We're changing that narrative using innovative solutions, riding across scalable technologies.
我们将会跨过那些规模化的技术，使用一个具有创造性的方案来改变现状。
Knowledge doesn't have to be expensive.
知识不一定要是昂贵的。
My company developed an agricultural platform called iCow.
我的公司研发了一款农业平台名叫iCow。
We teach farmers best livestock practices using SMS over simple, low-end phones.
我们在简单低端的手机上，通过SMS（手机短信服务）教给农民们最好的畜牧业饲养方法。
Farmers receive three SMSs a week on best livestock practices,
农民们会在每周收到三条有关畜牧饲养方法的短信，
and those that execute the messages go on to see increases in productivity within as short a time as three months.
那些看完短信并学以致用的农民们，在短短三个月的时间内生产力就获得了提高。
The first increases in productivity, of course, are improved animal health.
生产率提高的第一个因素当然就是家畜健康水平的提高。
We use SMS because it is retentive.
我们使用SMS的原因就是它容易存储信息。
Farmers store their messages, they write them down in books,
农民们保存这些信息，并把它们记载入册，
and in effect, we're drip-feeding agricultural manuals into the fields.
实际上，我们是一点一点把农业手册上的知识运用到实际生产之中。
