# The risks agriculture faces in developing countries: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 12, Test 2, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 12, Test 2, Reading Passage 1. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | A | Two things distinguish food production from all other productive activities |
| 2 | B | smallholder farmers in developing countries must in addition deal with adverse environments |
| 3 | H | collective action does not come as a free good. It takes time, effort and money to organise |
| 4 | D | sixty percent of beneficiaries of subsidies are not poor, but rich landowners and non-farmer traders |
| 5 | B | collective action offers an important way for farmers to strengthen their political and economic bargaining power |
| 6 | C | as valuable ways to address poverty among farming families |
| 7 | G | community-supported agriculture, where consumers invest in local farmers by subscription |
| 8 | B | the procurement and holding of stocks by governments can also help mitigate wild swings in food prices |
| 9 | A | governments can significantly reduce risks for farmers by providing basic services like roads |
| 10 | D, E | The growing unpredictability of weather patterns increases farmers' difficulty in managing weather-related risks. |
| 11 | D, E | the presence of intermediary purchasers who, taking advantage of farmers' vulnerability, dictate prices |
| 12 | C, D | all stakeholders, including business, government, scientists and civil society, must work together |
| 13 | C, D | where consumers invest in local farmers by subscription and guarantee producers a fair price, is a risk-sharing model worth more attention |

## Why these answers are right

**1. A.** You need the paragraph that names features belonging to food production alone. Paragraph A says two things distinguish food production from all other productive activities, the universal need for food and its dependence on nature, and calls these aspects unique, so A is correct.

**2. B.** The statement is about problems that affect farmers only in some regions. Paragraph B first lists risks farmers everywhere face, then says smallholder farmers in developing countries must in addition deal with poor soil, rainfall and weak infrastructure. That extra burden makes B the answer.

**3. H.** This item asks where the passage mentions obstacles to getting farmers to work together. In paragraph H, Giel Ton warns that collective action is not a free good, since it takes time, effort and money to organize and build trust. Those costs are the difficulties, so H.

The why and the trap for questions 4 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-risks-agriculture-faces-in-developing-countries/answers).

[Practice The risks agriculture faces in developing countries](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-risks-agriculture-faces-in-developing-countries)