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Research on Improving Agricultural Yields in Africa Reading Answers

Bhaskar Das

Nov 18, 2025

The answers for "Research on Improving Agricultural Yields in Africa Reading Answers" include 13 questions and are part of the assessment framework for the IELTS General Reading test. Candidates are allotted 20 minutes to complete the reading responses concerning "Research on Improving Agricultural Yields in Africa Reading Answers." This portion of the IELTS reading exam consists of different question formats, such as choose the correct letter, match each statement with the correct researcher, and choose no more than two words from the text.

The answers for "Research on Improving Agricultural Yields in Africa Reading Answers" offer a comprehensive overview of 3 research programs in Africa that are tackling challenges to agricultural productivity by addressing cattle diseases like bovine TB and trypanosomiasis, and crop losses caused by aphid-transmitted viruses. Scientists from Africa and the UK are collaborating to improve livestock health, protect crops, and develop sustainable, locally accepted solutions.. For additional practice with similar reading assessments, candidates can refer to the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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Research on Improving Agricultural Yields in Africa Reading Answers

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Research on Improving Agricultural Yields in Africa Reading Answers

Three programmes are investigating ways of improving agricultural productivity in Africa.

More than half of the global population growth between now and 2050 is expected to occur in Africa. And more people means a requirement for more food.

Ethiopia, for example, has the largest livestock population in Africa but with a growing population, even its 53 million cattle are not enough. And now efforts to develop fanning there are bringing a significant health concern. Professor James Wood from the University of Cambridge explains that new breeds that are being introduced are more vulnerable to bovine TB (tuberculosis) whereas the zebu cattle which were previously reared there. “This may have health implications for those who work with and live alongside infected cattle, and also raises concerns about transmission to areas which previously had low levels of TB,” he says.

Wood leads a research programme which is looking at the feasibility of control strategies, including cattle vaccination. The programme brings together veterinarian scientists, epidemiologists, geneticists, immunologists and social scientists in eight African and UK institutions. “We need this mix because we are not only asking how effective strategies will be, but also whether farmers will accept them, and what the consequences are for prosperity and wellbeing,” says Wood.

The impact that increasing productivity can have on farmers’ livelihoods is not lost on an insect expert at the University of Ghana, Dr Ken Fening, who is working on another food-related research project. Cabbages are not indigenous to Africa but have become a major cash crop for Ghanaian farmers and an important source of income for traders from markets and hotels. “A good crop can bring in money to buy fertilisers and farming equipment, and also help to pay for healthcare and education of the family,” he says. Recently, however, fields of stunted, yellowing cabbages, their leaves curled and dotted with mould, have become a familiar and devastating sight for the farmers of southern Ghana.

From his field station base in Kpong, Ghana, Fening works closely with smallholder farmers on pest-control strategies. Two years ago they started reporting that a new disease was attacking their crops. “It seemed to be associated with massive infestations of pink and green aphids,” says Fening. “and as someone who has worked for many years on insect pests affecting vegetables, I’m familiar with the types of damage they can cause.”

But farmers were typically seeing the total loss of their crops, and he realised that the devastation couldn’t just be caused by sap-sucking insects. Despite no previous reports of viral diseases affecting cabbage crops in Ghana, the symptoms suggested a viral pathogen. Together with Cambridge plant virologist Dr John Carr, Fening collected samples of cabbage plants in Ghana showing signs of disease, and also aphids on the infected plants, and began the process of identifying the offending virus.

Techniques including a type of DNA ‘fingerprinting’ to identify the aphid species, and sophisticated molecular biology methods to try to identify the offending virus. “Aphids are a major source of plant viruses,” explains Carr. “The usual suspects” are turnip mosaic virus and cauliflower mosaic virus, which affect cabbages in Europe and the US.”

“We found that two different species of aphids, pink and green, were spreading different viruses,” says Fening. “It turned out this was the first record of the green aphid spreading turnip mosaic virus in Africa, and the pink aphid spreading Myzus persicae (Sulzer). What’s more, the virus was not the same as that found elsewhere in the world.”

The sooner it can be characterised, the sooner sustainable solutions can be found. Another line of research hopes to characterise the spread of the disease not only in Ghana, but also in other endemic countries.

At the University of Ghana. She has been working with Cambridge scientists on cattle diseases such as trypanosomiasis. This is a major constraint to cattle fanning across vast swathes of sub-Saharan Africa. The disease of humans, the number of cases is low, and the research community is nevertheless low, but in cattle the disease remains a major limit on agricultural production.

The parasite that causes the disease is carried by the tsetse fly which colonises vast swathes of sub-Saharan Africa. Carrington says that a lot is now known about the parasites and the dynamics of infection in the animal host, but less about the effect on early ages. Infection acquired at early ages persists for the lifetime of cattle, they can transmit infection within a herd. “This is the best time we need to understand how the system of the animal acting as hosts by altering the parasite population dynamics in the fly,” says Carrington.

When her infection acquired at early ages persists for the lifetime of cattle in Ghana, they discovered that nearly all were infected all the time.

For Mullan, one of the important gains has been that the blood samples from 150 Ghanaian cattle were stored by the lab and can Do DNA extraction and analysis in Ghana, instead of transporting to Cambridge. “We are launching the “blood bank” five Ghana and using different DNA analysis methods.”

“Having a crucial input in developing this high technological system is important to enable scientists to understand how the systems work.”

Trypanosomiasis is caused by several distinct organisms, and some the spread of parasites. “We want to ensure not only cattle in field studies, but also enable better collaboration between African scientists.”

Questions 28-32

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

28. What is the main problem faced by cattle farmers in Ethiopia, according to Professor Wood?

A. TB is being transmitted from people to cattle.

B. New breeds of cattle have led to an increase in TB.

C. The traditional breeds of cattle are being affected by TB.

D. TB has spread into places where it was previously unknown.

Answer: B

Supporting statement: “new breeds… are more vulnerable to bovine TB… whereas the zebu cattle which were previously reared there.”

Keywords: new breeds, more vulnerable, TB

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, Line 1

Explanation: The passage explains that TB problems increased because newly introduced cattle breeds are more susceptible to TB. Therefore, the main problem is that new breeds have led to an increase in TB.

29. When discussing the cultivation of cabbages in Ghana, the writer says that this crop

A. was introduced from outside Africa.

B. is not eaten much by local people.

C. is not grown correctly by many farmers.

D. requires the use of fertiliser and special equipment.

Answer: A

Supporting statement: “Cabbages are not indigenous to Africa but have become a major cash crop…”

Keywords: not indigenous, Africa

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, Line 1

Explanation: The passage clearly states that cabbages did not originate in Africa; they were introduced from elsewhere. Thus, the correct answer is A.

30. Fening believed that the new disease destroying cabbages was

A. caused by overuse of pesticides.

B. also affecting other locally grown vegetables.

C. linked to insect attacks on these vegetables.

D. connected with the development of new insect breeds.

Answer: C

Supporting statement: “It seemed to be associated with massive infestations of pink and green aphids…”

Keywords: associated, infestations, aphids

Keyword Location: Paragraph 7, Line 2

Explanation: Fening observed heavy aphid infestations and linked the crop destruction to these insects. Hence, he believed the disease was connected with insect attacks.

31. Fening first suspected that the cabbage disease was caused by a virus because

A. evidence of viral disease could be seen on the cabbage leaves.

B. pink and green aphids did not commonly attack cabbages.

C. viral diseases affecting vegetables had occurred elsewhere in Africa.

D. aphids would not have caused so much damage to the crops.

Answer: D

Supporting statement: “farmers were typically seeing the total loss of their crops, and he realised that the devastation couldn’t just be caused by sap-sucking insects.”

Keywords: total loss, couldn’t just be caused

Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, Line 1

Explanation: Fening concluded the damage was too severe to be caused by insects alone, leading him to suspect a viral disease. Thus, the answer is D.

32. When doing further research in Cambridge, Fening and Carr discovered that

A. the virus was unfamiliar to them.

B. two different viruses were present.

C. the aphids' DNA was more complex than expected.

D. one aphid was more harmful than the other.

Answer: B

Supporting statement: “two different species of aphids… were spreading different viruses.”

Keywords: different species, different viruses

Keyword Location: Paragraph 12, Line 1

Explanation: Fening and Carr discovered that two viruses were being spread by two aphid species. Therefore, two different viruses were present.

Questions 33-36

Look at the following statements (Questions 33-36) and the list of researchers below.

Match each statement with the correct researcher, A-E.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

33. A particular crop may make an important contribution to the local economy in one African country.

Answer: B

Supporting statement: “Cabbages… have become a major cash crop… and an important source of income…”

Keywords: cash crop, source of income

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, Line 1

Explanation: Fening highlights the economic importance of cabbage farming in Ghana, showing the crop’s contribution to the local economy.

34. Tests will be carried out by local people in the country where the research is focused.

Answer: D

Supporting statement: “blood samples… can do DNA extraction and analysis in Ghana, instead of transporting to Cambridge.”

Keywords: DNA extraction, in Ghana

Keyword Location: Paragraph 16, Line 1

Explanation: The passage describes how Manful’s team will conduct testing locally in Ghana, not abroad.

35. Different specialists must work together to ensure the success of a programme.

Answer: A

Supporting statement: “The programme brings together veterinarian scientists, epidemiologists, geneticists, immunologists and social scientists…”

Keywords: brings together, mix of specialists

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, Line 1

Explanation: Wood explains that multiple disciplines must collaborate for the programme’s success.

36. One type of insect attacking plants in Ghana was previously unknown there.

Answer: B

Supporting statement: “first record of the green aphid spreading turnip mosaic virus in Africa”

Keywords: first record, Africa

Keyword Location: Paragraph 12, Line 2

Explanation: Fening discovered previously unrecorded virus-spreading behaviour by an aphid species in Ghana.

List of Researchers

A. James Wood

B. Ken Fening

C. John Carr

D. Theresa Manful

E. Mark Carrington

Questions 37-40

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 37-40 on your answer sheet.

Trypanosomiasis

Trypanosomiasis is a disease caused by a parasite which is spread by an insect called the (37)............

Answer: tsetse fly

Supporting statement: “The parasite… is carried by the tsetse fly…”

Keywords: carried, tsetse fly

Keyword Location: Paragraph 14, Line 1

Explanation: The insect responsible for spreading the parasite is the tsetse fly.

The parasite can remain unaffected by the host's (38)................

Answer: immune system

Supporting statement: “dynamics of infection in the animal host…” (implied immunity context)

Keywords: infection, host

Keyword Location: Paragraph 14 (general context)

Explanation: The parasite resists the host’s immune system by altering its surface proteins.

because it is able to change the (39) ………………

Answer: surface proteins

Supporting statement: “altering the parasite population dynamics… in the fly” (scientific context of trypanosome variation)

Keywords: altering, parasite

Keyword Location: Paragraph 14 (scientific background)

Explanation: Trypanosomes evade immunity by switching surface proteins.

on its outer covering. It is uncommon among humans but has been found to affect most (40) ………………. in Ghana.

Answer: Ghanaian cattle

Supporting statement: “they discovered that nearly all were infected all the time.”

Keywords: nearly all, infected

Keyword Location: Paragraph 15, Line 1

Explanation: The disease is found to affect most cattle in Ghana.

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*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

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