【TED演讲稿】创新和科技如何对抗全球饥饿问题

TED演讲者：Bernhard Kowatsch / 伯恩哈德·科瓦茨

演讲标题：The mindset shift needed to tackle big global challenges / 创新和科技如何对抗全球饥饿问题

内容概要：Social entrepreneur Bernhard Kowatsch shares real-life examples of how a business approach focused on accelerating tech (like a blockchain-supported way to bring food to refugees or a machine that fortifies flour at small mills in Africa) can help make an impact on big, seemingly intractable problems. "Innovation and technology can create so much good in the world, and together we can solve the world's biggest challenges," he says.

社会企业家伯恩哈德·科瓦茨（Bernhard Kowatsch）分享了一些实际的例子，展示了如何利用扶持科技的商业手段解决严重又看起来无法解决的问题，他分享了利用区块链为难民提供食物的例子和非洲小工坊强化面粉的设备。他说：“创新和科技能为世界带来这么多好处，我们可以携手一起解决世界大难题。”

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【1】When you think about innovation and technology, you're most likely thinking about the latest app on your smartphone, or maybe you think about rockets going into space.

提到创新和科技, 你很有可能会想到 智能手机的新款应用, 或者飞向太空的火箭。

【2】But what about some of the world's biggest challenges, like global hunger or climate change?

但是你会想到现在世界面临的 那些最严峻的挑战, 例如全球饥饿 或者气候变化这样的问题吗？

【3】They can seem overwhelming or, you know, maybe you just think there should be a nonprofit organization that takes care of that.

这些问题听起来可能很夸张, 也许你觉得, 会有非营利组织负责处理这些难题。

【4】But why is it that we think so traditionally about some of the world's biggest challenges?

但是,面对这些世界上最大的挑战, 为什么我们还想得这么传统呢？

【5】I believe innovation and technology can help tackle some of the world's biggest challenges.

我相信,创新和科技 可以帮助解决一些世界难题。

【6】The barrier is our own thinking.

但是,我们会受到思维的局限。

【7】And there's something about this where big global challenges are no different than big global business challenges.

在这一点上,这些国际大难题 同国际上的商业性大挑战 有一些共通之处。

【8】So let's change that.

让我们一起做出改变。

【9】Let's talk about one of those topics, global hunger.

首先谈谈其中的一个议题, 全球饥饿问题。

【10】Hunger may seem like a remote problem for you, but the effects of it are pretty drastic.

饥饿对你来说 可能是个遥远的问题, 但是它带来的后果非常严重。

【11】Hunger means you do not have enough calories on a daily basis to live a healthy life.

饥饿意味着, 一个人每日无法获取足以 维持身体健康的卡路里摄入。

【12】And there is up to 811 million people on the planet who are hungry.

地球上有高达 8.11 亿人口 处于这种饥饿状态。

【13】So what can we do about it?

那么我们能做什么呢？

【14】I think innovation and technology is the answer.

我认为,创新和科技就是答案。

【15】A couple of years ago, a friend and I realized that United Nations World Food Programme can feed a child for a full day for only 80 cents.

几年以前, 我和朋友发现 联合国世界粮食计划署 仅用 80 美分就能向一个孩子 提供一整天的食物。

【16】We were shocked.

我们大受震撼。

【17】We thought, if more people knew about this, if we made it easy, imagine you were having dinner with your friends and you're enjoying yourselves, wouldn't you want to share your meal with a child in need?

如果有更多人了解这件事, 如果我们让这件事变得可能, 想象一下,你和朋友 共进晚餐,享受其中, 你难道不愿意和一个需要帮助的孩子 分享你的食物吗？

【18】And that's exactly why we founded an app called Share the Meal.

这正是我们创立“分享餐食” （Share the Meal）应用的原因。

【19】It's so simple.

就是这么简单。

【20】With one tap on your smartphone, you can share your meal with a child in need for only 80 cents.

点点手机屏幕, 就可以向一个需要帮助的孩子 分享你的食物,只需 80 美分。

【21】And I'm excited to tell you it's working.

令人激动的是,这件事起作用了。

【22】Over 130 million meals have been shared so far by six million app users across the globe.

至今已有 600 万 来自世界各地的用户 分享了超过 1.3 亿份餐食。

【23】And Share the Meal was even an app of the year in 2020 by both Apple and Google.

“分享餐食”应用还被苹果和谷歌 同时列为 2020 年年度应用。

【24】When we started Share the Meal, we had to push really hard to make it a reality.

我们最初创立“分享餐食”的时候, 不得不使出浑身解数让它成真。

【25】There just weren't so many support mechanisms out there to support social entrepreneurs, when you compare it, for instance, with the number of start-up accelerators for for-profit ventures.

相较来说,社会上没有太多 针对社会企业的扶持机制, 你可以看看盈利性企业的 创业加速器数量。

【26】Coming from that inspiration, I got the opportunity to start the World Food Programme's Innovation Accelerator, exactly with the goal of replicating what Silicon Valley does well, but for global social impact.

受此启发, 我得到了一个发起 世界粮食计划署创新加速器的机会, 复刻了硅谷做得非常成功的事情, 不过这是为了全球的社会性影响。

【27】It's a start-up accelerator that supports start-ups and nonprofit innovations globally and helps them scale to disrupt global hunger.

这是一个支持全球初创企业和 非盈利创新项目的创业加速器, 帮助它们扩张、 对抗全球饥饿问题。

【28】So let's look at two of those examples.

我们来看其中两个例子。

【29】The first one is about blockchain.

第一个例子有关区块链。

【30】Now, when you think about blockchain, you may think about Bitcoin or cryptocurrencies, but that's not how we think of it.

提到区块链, 你可能会想到比特币或者加密货币, 但是我们不是这么想的。

【31】We use blockchain technology so that refugees can go into stores and purchase food.

我们利用区块链技术 帮助难民走进商店, 购买食物。

【32】It's an innovation called Building Blocks.

这项创新叫做 “构成区块” （Building Blocks）。

【33】And why blockchain?

为什么用区块链呢？

【34】Blockchain helps because it's not my blockchain or your blockchain, it's the neutral blockchain network.

区块链能大展身手, 因为区块链不是我的, 也不是你的, 它是一种中立的区块链网络。

【35】And that way it makes collaboration among aid organizations much easier.

因此,它让援助组织之间的协作 变得更容易。

【36】And how does it work?

它是如何运行的呢？

【37】Every month, aid organizations transfer money to individual blockchain accounts, and then that individual can go into a store, shop for the groceries and at the checkout they pay with the iris scan or with another authentication method.

每个月,援助组织会将资金 转入个人区块链账户, 随后这个人就能去商店 购买日常所需, 结账时使用虹膜扫描 或者用其他验证方式支付即可。

【38】That innovation had first been submitted to us by a World Food Programme finance officer who participated in our innovation boot camp.

这个创新方案最初是由 世界粮食计划署的 一名财务人员提交的, 他曾参加过我们的创新培训活动。

【39】He then developed a prototype and tested it only two months after starting, in Pakistan with about 100 people, and the next pilot was already with 10,000 refugees in Jordan.

参与仅两个月后, 他搭建了一个原型, 并在巴基斯坦 做了约 100 人规模的测试。 下一个试点规模扩张到了 约旦的一万名难民。

【40】And that was so successful, that that solution scaled to over 100,000 people within seven months.

试点非常成功, 在短短七个月内, 这个解决方案的受益人数 就增长到超过 10 万。

【41】And right now, Building Blocks is reaching about one million people, transferring over 300 million dollars of cash to people in urgent need of food.

现在,“构成区块” 已经覆盖了近 100 万人, 向这些迫切需要食物的人 拨付了超过 3 亿美金。

【42】And here's another example.

再举个例子。

【43】Did you know that corn flakes and a lot of other cereals have added vitamins and minerals?

大家知道吗？ 玉米片和很多其他麦片 添加了维生素和矿物质。

【44】That's called food fortification, when you add critical nutrients to staple foods we eat every day.

这个过程叫做食品营养强化, 我们在日常主要摄入的食物中 添加重要的营养素。

【45】That's particularly important when people do not have access to a healthy diet or maybe they cannot afford it.

对于那些无法获取或买不起 健康食物的人来说,这尤为重要。

【46】This is where social business called Sanku comes in.

一个叫做 Sanku 的社会企业 抓住了这个机会。

【47】Sanku has developed an internet-enabled machine that fortifies maize flour at small mills in Africa.

他们研制了一种联网设备, 能在非洲小工坊的玉米面生产中 实现食品营养强化。

【48】Now they have a market-based model that helps provide fortified, nutritious flour to their clients of the small mills at no additional cost.

现在,他们有了一个 基于市场的模型,协助小工坊 无需额外成本地向客户提供 营养丰富的强化面粉。

【49】Right now it's reaching up to three million people and scaling further.

如今,他们已经覆盖了 将近 300 万人, 并持续扩张中。

【50】So, does it work?

那么它真的有用吗？

【51】Can accelerated innovation and technology help us tackle some of the world's biggest challenges?

这些加速创新和科技 可以帮助我们解决 一些国际大难题吗？

【52】When we first started the World Food Programme Innovation Accelerator, it seemed like a crazy idea that innovation and technology can help us make a meaningful impact on global hunger.

我们刚创立世界粮食计划署 创新加速器的时候, 创新和科技可以在 全球饥饿问题上做出巨大贡献, 这个想法听起来就是无稽之谈。

【53】But since starting in 2015, we've consistently doubled the number of people reached every year through the innovations that we've supported.

但是自 2015 年起, 通过我们扶持的创新项目, 我们每年的 覆盖人群都在翻倍。

【54】In 2021, we've positively impacted the lives of 8.6 million people already.

2021 年,我们已经为 860 万人的 生活带来了改善。

【55】And now we even run accelerator programs for other global problems like primary health care, vaccine delivery or gender equality.

我们现在还会为其他全球性难题 提供加速器项目, 例如初级卫生保健、 疫苗交付和性别平等。

【56】Imagine what the impact could be if you take action today as an individual, as a company, or maybe as a start-up founder.

想像一下,你作为个人、 作为公司, 或者作为初创企业创始人, 此时此刻行动起来, 会产生什么样的影响。

【57】Innovation and technology can enable so much good in the world, and together we can solve the world's biggest challenges.

创新和科技能 为世界带来这么多的好处, 我们可以携手一起解决世界大难题。

【58】Thank you.

谢谢大家。