Traditional Farming System in Africa Reading Answer passage highlights unique agricultural practices shaped by communal land ownership and sustainable cultivation methods. In Luapula, farming relies on shared land management, where the village head distributes land according to need.
A key practice is chitemene, where crops are grown on ash-enriched soils, reflecting a deeply rooted traditional farming system in African methods. This passage is also an engaging African farming IELTS reading passage, often explored in traditional farming methods IELTS test exercises. Learners seeking farming systems in Africa answers or farming passage reading solutions will find it highly useful for improving comprehension across key IELTS Reading Topics.
The African farming IELTS reading passage explores how traditional agricultural practices shape rural communities. Learners practicing this text can discover insights into sustainability and cultural farming styles while applying them in the traditional farming methods of the IELTS test. It helps candidates strengthen comprehension skills.
Land in Luapula is traditionally not held by individuals, but rather is distributed by the village headman or head woman according to need, as it is in many other parts of Africa. Because land is normally prepared by hand, one ulupua cannot cover a wide area; hence, land has not been a limiting resource in many areas of the province. Near the main townships, the situation has already changed, and there has long been a lack of cultivable land in the Valley. Registered ownership patterns are becoming more common in these places.
In Luapula, like in the Bemba region to the east, most traditional agriculture is based on chitemene, a system in which crops are cultivated on the ashes of tree limbs. In most cases, trees are pollarded rather than felled to allow them to recover. Early in the dry season, branches are chopped over a varying-sized region and arranged to dry in a rough circular area, approximately a fifth to a tenth of the pollarded area. The wood is burned before the rains, and in the first year, the African cereal finger millet is planted (Eleusine coracana).
The region is planted to variously mixed combinations of annuals such as maize, pumpkins (Telfiria occidentalis) and other cucurbits, sweet potatoes, groundnuts, Phaseolus beans, and various leafy vegetables during the second season, and maybe for a few seasons more. The varied sequence comes to a close with vegetable cassava, which is frequently planted as a relay into the developing last-but-one crop.
The practise of chitemene, according to Richards (1969), involves a clear division of labour between men and women. Because it is deemed provocative to one's neighbours to draw boundaries in an overt manner, a man stakes out a plot in a non-intrusive manner. The perilous labour of felling branches is reserved for men, and it is a source of great pride for them. The males stack the branches, while the women stack them.
This section provides targeted farming passage reading solutions for practice. Learners can attempt questions modeled on actual exam patterns to enhance their grasp of IELTS Reading Topics. It connects directly to IELTS Reading Question Types like multiple-choice and sentence completion, aiding candidates to improve accuracy and boost their IELTS Reading Band Score.
Sample Questions on IELTS Traditional Farming System In Africa Reading Answers | |
Type | Question |
True/False/Not Given | In Luapula, land is usually distributed by the village headman or headwoman. |
True/False/Not Given | Registered land ownership is common in all rural areas of Luapula. |
True/False/Not Given | Chitemene agriculture is based on burning pollarded tree branches. |
True/False/Not Given | Finger millet is usually the first crop planted after burning wood. |
True/False/Not Given | Women are primarily responsible for cutting branches in chitemene farming. |
Short Answer | Which crop is generally grown in the final stage of the chitemene cycle? |
Short Answer | Who usually distributes land in Luapula villages? |
Short Answer | Which cereal crop is mentioned as the first-year plantation? |
MCQ | The final crop often planted in chitemene is: |
MCQ | Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a crop grown in Luapula’s system? |
MCQ | Men’s main responsibility in chitemene is: |
MCQ | The system of planting crops on ash is called: |
True/False/Not Given | Richards (1969) described chitemene as involving a clear division of labour between men and women. |
Short Answer | Why is it considered provocative to mark land boundaries in an obvious way? |
MCQ | Which of the following vegetables is grown in Luapula traditional farming? |
The compiled farming system in Africa answers allow students to check their progress after attempting the African farming IELTS reading passage. With structured explanations and correct solutions, this section supports learners preparing for the traditional farming methods IELTS test. It ensures clarity and guides them in mastering the IELTS Reading Test Format successfully.
IELTS Traditional Farming System In Africa Reading Answers | |
Answer | Explanation |
TRUE | Passage states land is distributed by the headman/headwoman according to need. |
FALSE | Passage says registered ownership is becoming common near townships, not all rural areas. |
TRUE | Chitemene involves burning pollarded tree branches. |
TRUE | Finger millet is planted in the first year after burning wood. |
FALSE | Men cut/fell branches; women stack them. |
Cassava | Cassava is the final crop often planted in the cycle. |
Village headman or headwoman | They distribute land as per need. |
Finger millet | First cereal crop planted after burning. |
b) Cassava | Final crop mentioned in passage is cassava. |
b) Rice | Rice is not mentioned as a crop grown. |
b) Pollarding branches | Cutting branches is men’s main task. |
b) Chitemene | System of farming on ash is called chitemene. |
TRUE | Richards (1969) described division of labour. |
It provokes neighbours | Passage says obvious marking of land boundaries is considered provocative. |
b) Pumpkin | Pumpkins are listed among crops; lettuce, spinach, cabbage are not. |
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