Eco-farming can double food output by poor: U. N.

by Alister Doyle
1. The text under analysis is called Eco-farming can double food output by poor: U. N. by
Alister Doyle. The text belongs to the popular scientific style the main aim of which is to
spread knowledge and useful information among the public circles. It is a specific variety
of scientific prose which bears the features of the publicistic style. Such texts contain less
special terms compared to the scientific prose. Nevertheless, the employed terms are
often supplied with explanations.
2. The article under discussion deals with ecology. By means of the key-words eco-farming,
ecological agriculture the author renders his message that it would bring more benefit
and twice as much food employing agroecology.
3. The graphical arrangement of the text is common for the scientific prose style. The title is
given in bold type to distinguish it from the rest of the text. The use of the abbreviation
standing for the United Nations (UN) conditions the capitalization of its first letters. The
petite print is applied for additional information (i.e. the name and status of the author
and the place of publishing). The text is laid-out in 3 columns which is suggestive of the
newspaper format of the article.
4. The text manifests some features of scientific prose, the use of colloquialisms adds
emotional appeal characteristic of the publicistic functional style. Colloquial layer
includes common colloquial words as in a drive, pests, mimicked, boost. The words
desmodium, napier grass refer to the special terminology layer, but their meanings are
explained in the footnote. Their usage makes the text closer to the scientific prose style.
SYNONYMS (method, step, model; damage, disrupt, fail; increase, boost, sore)
5. Logical sequence of utterances, which ensure the text cohesion, is achieved by means of
different linking words such as: also, still, however, among examples.
6. Stylistic devices: soaring food prices (metaphor)
7. An abundance of quotations belonging to Olivier de Schutter are used in the text. Such
references to a competent in the ecology person add to the text authenticity and
trustworthiness. The fact that there are many figures in the article proves the accuracy of
the research and the importance of the problem under discussion.
8. The author of the article suggests that eco-farming would be a great opportunity to
double food though it might be difficult for the developed nations to give up the
industrial farming.