Cambridge IELTS 15 · Listening · Test 2 · Part 4

Listening Test 2, Part 4: answers explained

Agricultural programme in Mozambique

The recording and its 10 questions (31–40). Every answer is explained with the words that give it away.

Take the whole test, timed Show the answers

Part 4 recording

Play it once, as in the exam, and answer the questions below as you listen.

Questions 31–40

Note completion
31 ______ was seen as the main priority to ensure the supply of water.
32 Most of the work organised by farmers’ associations was done by ______
33 ______ for the fences
34 ______ for suitable crops
35 ______ for the fences on their land.
36 The marketing of produce was sometimes difficult due to lack of ______
37 Training was therefore provided in methods of food ______
38 Farmers made special places where ______ could be kept.
39 Local people later suggested keeping ______
40 Enough time must be allowed, particularly for the ______ phase of the programme.

Answers explained

Answer the questions first: finding the evidence yourself teaches more than reading it. The answers stay folded until you ask.

Question 31

Irrigation

What you hear

focused primarily on making use of existing water resources from the Limpopo River by setting up systems of irrigation

Why

The programme set up systems of irrigation to give a dependable water supply for crops and animals, drawing on the Limpopo River. The notes call this the main priority, matching 'focused primarily'. The answer is a single word, irrigation.
Question 32

women

What you hear

women formed the majority of the workforce

Why

The farmers' associations handled water management, livestock and agriculture, and it was notable that in general women formed the majority of the workforce. The note asks who did most of the work, so write women.
Question 33

wire(s)

What you hear

the programme provided the necessary wire for making them

Why

Villagers built the fences to protect crops from animals, but the programme provided the necessary wire for making them. The gap names what was supplied, and wire is that item; the community supplied the labour.
Question 34

seed(s)

What you hear

the programme provided the necessary seeds for this

Why

Once the land was dug, vegetables and cereals suited to the climate were grown, and the programme provided the necessary seeds. So seeds fit the gap about suitable crops. Pumps were also supplied, but those serve the water, not the crops.
Question 35

posts

What you hear

they also provided and put up the posts that supported the fences

Why

Contrast with Q33: the wire came from the programme, yet local people provided and put up the posts supporting the fences. So the gap about fences on their land needs posts, an item contributed by the community alongside its labour.
Question 36

transport

What you hear

the farmers did not have access to transport

Why

Getting produce to market was a problem because the farmers did not have access to transport, so lots of vegetables spoiled. The gap follows 'lack of', and transport is the missing resource named in the script.
Question 37

preservation

What you hear

the farmers needed to learn techniques for its preservation

Why

To prevent spoilage, farmers decided they needed to learn techniques for its preservation. The note's 'methods of food' needs a noun, and preservation is exactly what the speaker says, with no spelling change.
Question 38

fish(es)

What you hear

use them for breeding fish

Why

An unplanned initiative became central: farmers dug holes for tanks in the fenced areas, filled them with water and bred fish, a source of protein. So the special places keep fish. Fish or fishes would be accepted.
Question 39

bees

What you hear

setting up colonies of bees

Why

A later idea from local people, not in the original proposal, was to set up colonies of bees, providing honey to eat and sell. The gap follows 'keeping', so the plural bees is needed; honey is the product, not the thing kept.
Question 40

design

What you hear

especially for its design

Why

In the lessons the speaker stresses realistic timelines for each phase, especially the design, since mistakes made there may be hard to correct later. The word needed is design, the phase singled out by 'especially'.

Part 4 audioscript

Part 4 · audioscript

I’m going to report on a case study of a programme which has been set up to help rural populations in Mozambique, a largely agricultural country in South-East Africa.

The programme worked with three communities in Chicualacuala district, near the Limpopo River. This is a dry and arid region, with unpredictable rainfall. Because of this, people in the area were unable to support themselves through agriculture and instead they used the forest as a means of providing themselves with an income, mainly by selling charcoal. However, this was not a sustainable way of living in the long term, as they were rapidly using up this resource.

To support agriculture in this dry region, the programme focused primarily on making use of existing water resources from the Limpopo River by setting up systems of irrigation, which would provide a dependable water supply for crops and animals. The programme worked closely with the district government in order to find the best way of implementing this. The region already had one farmers’ association, and it was decided to set up two more of these. These associations planned and carried out activities including water management, livestock breeding and agriculture, and it was notable that in general, women formed the majority of the workforce.

It was decided that in order to keep the crops safe from animals, both wild and domestic, special areas should be fenced off where the crops could be grown. The community was responsible for creating these fences, but the programme provided the necessary wire for making them.

Once the area had been fenced off, it could be cultivated. The land was dug, so that vegetables and cereals appropriate to the climate could be grown, and the programme provided the necessary seeds for this. The programme also provided pumps so that water could be brought from the river in pipes to the fields. However, the labour was all provided by local people, and they also provided and put up the posts that supported the fences around the fields.

Once the programme had been set up, its development was monitored carefully. The farmers were able to grow enough produce not just for their own needs, but also to sell. However, getting the produce to places where it could be marketed was sometimes a problem, as the farmers did not have access to transport, and this resulted in large amounts of produce, especially vegetables, being spoiled. This problem was discussed with the farmers’ associations and it was decided that in order to prevent food from being spoiled, the farmers needed to learn techniques for its preservation.

There was also an additional initiative that had not been originally planned, but which became a central feature of the programme. This was when farmers started to dig holes for tanks in the fenced-off areas and to fill these with water and use them for breeding fish – an important source of protein. After a time, another suggestion was made by local people which hadn’t been part of the programme’s original proposal, but which was also adopted later on. They decided to try setting up colonies of bees, which would provide honey both for their own consumption and to sell.

So what lessons can be learned from this programme? First of all, it tells us that in dry, arid regions, if there is access to a reliable source of water, there is great potential for the development of agriculture. In Chicualacuala, there was a marked improvement in agricultural production, which improved food security and benefited local people by providing them with both food and income. However, it’s important to set realistic timelines for each phase of the programme, especially for its design, as mistakes made at this stage may be hard to correct later on.

The programme demonstrates that sustainable development is possible in areas where …

Part 4 recording

Questions 31–40

Answers explained

Question 31

Question 32

Question 33

Question 34

Question 35

Question 36

Question 37

Question 38

Question 39

Question 40

Part 4 audioscript