ielts15_test2_audio4

An agricultural program in Mozambique helped rural populations by focusing on irrigation and water management. The program set up farmers' associations and fenced off areas for cultivation. Local people provided labor, while the program provided necessary resources like seeds and wire. The program also addressed challenges like transportation and spoilage of produce. Unexpected initiatives like fish breeding and beekeeping were successful. Lessons learned include the importance of access to water and realistic timelines for program phases. The program improved food security and provided income for local people. Part 4 You will hear part of a presentation about an agricultural program in the country of Mozambique. First, you have some time to look at questions 31 to 40. Now listen carefully and answer questions 31 to 40. I'm going to report on a case study of a program which has been set up to help rural populations in Mozambique, a largely agricultural country in Southeast Africa. The program worked with three communities in Chikwalakwala 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 program 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 program 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 program 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 program provided the necessary seeds for this. The program 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 program 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 program. 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 program'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 program? 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 Chikwala Kuala, 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 program, especially for its design, as mistakes made at this stage may be hard to correct later on. The program demonstrates that sustainable development is possible in areas where there is... That is the end of Part 4. You now have one minute to check your answers to Part 4. Thank you. That is the end of the listening test. In the IELTS test, you would now have ten minutes to transfer your answers to the answer sheet.