B – TEST 2

1. Passage 1 – Test 2 – Cambridge 12

The risks agriculture faces in developing countries

Synthesis of an online debate

A. Two things distinguish food production from all other productive activities: first, every single
person needs food each day and has a right to it; and second, it is hugely dependent on nature .
These two unique aspects, one political, the other natural, make food production highly
vulnerable and different from any other business. At the same time, cultural values are highly
entrenched in food and agricultural systems worldwide.

B. Farmers everywhere face major risks; including extreme weather, long-term climate change,
and price volatility in input and product markets. However, smallholder farmers in developing
countries must in addition deal with adverse environments, both natural, in terms of soil quality,
rainfall, etc. and human, in terms of infrastructure, financial systems, markets, knowledge and
technology. Counter-intuitively, hunger is prevalent among many smallholder farmers in the
developing world.

C. Participants in the online debate argued that our biggest challenge is to address the underlying
causes of the agricultural system’s inability to ensure sufficient food for all, and they identified
as drivers of this problem our dependency on fossil fuels and unsupportive government policies.

D. On the question of mitigating the risks farmers face, most essayists called for greater state
intervention.

In his essay, Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of the International Fund for Agricultural
Development, argued that governments can significantly reduce risks for farmers by providing
basic services like roads to get produce more efficiently to markets, or water and food storage
facilities to reduce losses . Sophia Murphy, senior advisor to the Institute for Agriculture and
Trade Policy, suggested that the procurement and holding of stocks by governments can also
help mitigate wild swings in food prices by alleviating uncertainties about market supply.

E. Shenggen Fan, Director General of the International Food Policy Research Institute, held up
social safety nets and public welfare programmes in Ethiopia, Brazil and Mexico as valuable
ways to address poverty among farming families and reduce their vulnerability to agriculture
shocks. However, some commentators responded that cash transfers to poor families do not
necessarily translate into increased food security, as these programmes do not always strengthen
food production or raise incomes.
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Regarding state subsidies for agriculture, Rokeya Kabir, Executive Director of Bangladesh Nari
Progati Sangha, commented in her essay that these ‘have not compensated for the stranglehold
exercised by private traders.

In fact, studies show that sixty percent of beneficiaries of subsidies are not poor, but rich
landowners and non-farmer traders.

F. Nwanze, Murphy and Fan argued that private risk management tools, like private insurance,
commodity futures markets, and rural finance can help small-scale producers mitigate risk and
allow for investment in improvements. Kabir warned that financial support schemes often
encourage the adoption of high-input agricultural practices, which in the medium term may raise
production costs beyond the value of their harvests.

Murphy noted that when futures markets become excessively financialised they can contribute to
short-term price volatility, which increases farmers’ food insecurity. Many participants and
commentators emphasised that greater transparency in markets is needed to mitigate the impact
of volatility, and make evident whether adequate stocks and supplies are available. Others
contended that agribusiness companies should be held responsible for paying for negative side
effects.

G. Many essayists mentioned climate change and its consequences for small-scale agriculture .
Fan explained that in addition to reducing crop yields, climate change increases the magnitude
and the frequency of extreme weather events, which increase smallholder vulnerability. The
growing unpredictability of weather patterns increases farmers’ difficulty in managing weather-
related risks.

According to this author, one solution would be to develop crop varieties that are more resilient
to new climate trends and extreme weather patterns. Accordingly, Pat Mooney, co-founder and
executive director of the ETC Group, suggested that ‘if we are to survive climate change, we
must adopt policies that let peasants diversify the plant and animal species and varieties/breeds
that make up our menus.

H. Some participating authors and commentators argued in favour of community-based and

autonomous risk management strategies through collective action groups, co-operatives or
producers’ groups. Such groups enhance market opportunities for small-scale producers, reduce
marketing costs and synchronise buying and selling with seasonal price conditions.

According to Murphy, ‘collective action offers an important way for farmers to strengthen their
political and economic bargaining power, and to reduce their business risks’. One commentator,
Giel Ton, warned that collective action does not come as a free good. It takes time, effort and
money to organise, build trust and to experiment . Others, like Marcel Vernooij and Marcel
Beukeboom, suggested that in order to ‘apply what we already know’, all stakeholders, including

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business, government, scientists and civil society, must work together, starting at the beginning
of the value chain.

I. Some participants explained that market price volatility is often worsened by the presence of
intermediary purchasers who, taking advantage of farmers’ vulnerability, dictate prices. One
commentator suggested farmers can gain greater control over prices and minimise price volatility
by selling directly to consumers.

Similarly, Sonali Bisht, founder and advisor to the Institute of Himalayan Environmental
Research and Education (INHERE), India, wrote that community-supported agriculture, where
consumers invest in local farmers by subscription and guarantee producers a fair price, is a risk-
sharing model worth more attention. Direct food distribution systems not only encourage small-
scale agriculture but also give consumers more control over the food they consume, she wrote.

Questions 1-3

Reading Passage 1 has nine paragraphs, A-l.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-l, in boxes 1-3 on your answer sheet.

1. a reference to characteristics that only apply to food production

Keywords: characteristics, only, food production

We have to find paragraphs which contain information about “food production”. We can see
this phrase (food production) in paragraph A and paragraph E. In paragraph E, “food
production” is just mentioned as an example of the benefits of public welfare programmes,
while in paragraph A, we can see the first sentence: “Two things distinguish food production
from all other productive activities: first, every single person needs food each day and has a
right to it; and second, it is hugely dependent on nature.” The verb “distinguish” means “to
make one thing seem different from another”. Therefore, we can understand that these two
things mentioned above only belong to food production. All of this information lies in
paragraph A. The answer is A.

 Answer: A.
Dịch đại ý

1. Sự giới thiệu về các đặc tính mà chỉ áp dụng vào việc sản xuất thức ăn

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 Chúng ta phải tìm đoạn có chứa thông tin về “việc sản xuất thức ăn”. Chúng ta có thể tìm
cụm từ này (việc sản xuất thức ăn) ở đoạn A và đoạn E. Trong đoạn E, “việc sản xuất thức
ăn” chỉ được nhắc đến như một ví dụ về lợi ích của các chương trình phúc lợi xã hội công
cộng, trong khi ở đoạn A, chúng ta có thể thấy câu đầu tiên: “Hai thứ phân biệt việc sản xuất
thức ăn với các hoạt động sản xuất khác: thứ nhất, mỗi người đều cần thức ăn mỗi ngày và có
quyền có thức ăn hàng ngày; và thứ hai, điều này phụ thuộc cao vào thiên nhiên.” Động từ
“distinguish” có nghĩa là “khiến cho một sự vật trở nên khác so với sự vật khác”. Vì vậy,
chúng ta có thể hiểu rằng hai việc được nhắc đến ở phía trên chỉ thuộc về “việc sản xuất thức
ăn”. Tất cả những thông tin này đều nằm ở đoạn A. Vậy đáp án là A.

2. a reference to challenges faced only by farmers in certain parts of the world

Keywords: challenges, only, farmers in certain parts

Paragraph B mentions difficulties farmers have to face. The first sentence is about problems
met in everywhere in the world. The second sentence is about challenges that only farmers in
developing countries have to deal with:“However, smallholder farmers in developing
countries must in addition deal with adverse environments, both natural, in terms of soil
quality, rainfall, etc. and human, in terms of infrastructure, financial systems, markets,
knowledge and technology”. The term “developing countries” refers to “certain parts of the
world”. Therefore, the answer is B.

 Answer: B.
Dịch đại ý

2. Sự giới thiệu về những thách thức chỉ bị gặp phải bởi những người nông dân ở những
vùng cụ thể trên thế giới.

Đoạn B nói đến những khó khăn mà người nông dân phải đối mặt.Câu đầu tiên nói về những
vấn đề xảy ra khắp nơi trên thế giới. Câu thứ hai nói về những thách thức mà chỉ người nông
dân ở những nước đang phát triển mới phải giải quyết: “Tuy nhiên, những hộ nông dân nhỏ
ở các nước đang phát triển còn gặp thêm những bất lợi về môi trường và cả thiên nhiên, về
chất lượng đát, lượng mưa, v.v.. và con người, về cơ sở hạ tầng, các hệ thống tài chính, thị
trường, kiến thức và công nghệ”. Cụm “các nước đang phát triển” nói đến “các vùng cụ theer
trên thế giới”. Vì vậy, đáp án là B

3. a reference to difficulties in bringing about co-operation between farmers

Keywords: difficulties, co-operation between farmers.

In terms of co-operation, the author mentions some kinds of co-operative groups of farmers
such as collective action groups, co-operatives or producers’ groups in the second sentence of
paragraph H. Collective actions mean actions shared by every member of a group of people,

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 which refers to co-operation between people in a group. He/ she not only names the groups
but also claims that those actions do“not come as a free good. It takes time, effort and money
to organise, build trust and to experiment.” Those are considered as difficulties in taking
collective actions. Therefore, the answer is H.

 Answer: H.
(Note: Matching Headings questions do not follow the order of the text).

Dịch đại ý

3. Sự ám chỉ về những khó khăn trong việc mang đến những sự hợp tác giữa những người
nông dân

Nói về “sự hợp tác”, tác giả nhắc đến một số loại nhóm hợp tác của nông dân như các nhóm
hành động công cộng, các hợp tác xã hay hội những người sản xuất trong câu thứ 2 của đoạn
H. Những hành động công cộng có nghĩa là những hành động được chia sẻ bởi mỗi thành
viên trong một nhóm người, điều này giải thích cho sự cộng tác giữa mọi người trong 1
nhóm. Anh ấy/ cô ấy không phải chỉ là những cái tên trong nhóm mà còn đòi hỏi những hành
động đó không “đến như một hàng hóa miễn phí.Nó cần thời gian, sự nỗ lực và tiền bạc để tổ
chức, gây dựng lòng tin và trải nghiệm”.Những điều đó được xem như những khó khăn trong
việc tạo ra những hành động công cộng. Vì vậy, đáp án là H

Questions 4-9

Look at the following statements (Questions 4-9) and the list of people below.

Match each statement with the correct person, A-G.

Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 4-9 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

List of people
A Kanayo F. Nwanze
B Sophia Murphy
C Shenggen Fan
D Rokeya Kabir
E Pat Mooney
F Giel Ton
G Sonali Bisht

4. Financial assistance from the government does not always go to the farmers who
most need it.
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