While the eyes of the world are, understandably, focused on the brutal war in Ukraine, an even bigger catastrophe is brewing in Africa, the Middle East and beyond – famine on a horrific scale. After repeated failures of the rains in successive years, many parts of Africa are facing the worst food crisis in at least forty years. More than 45 million people in the continent are already facing famine and, as food supplies run out during the lean season over the summer, many, many more will join them.

“Famine” is not used lightly. It is defined by the United Nations as the most severe level of food crisis in which at least 20% of the population face an extreme food crisis; 30% of the population is malnourished; two people in every 10,000 die per day; four children per 10,000 under five years old die every day. Current malnutrition rates are far worse than those which would normally trigger massive humanitarian responses, with overall acute malnutrition in places currently reported to be over 60%, compared to an emergency threshold of 18%, and severe acute malnutrition rates of 21% compared to its emergency threshold of 2.3%.

The most basic causes of this are a failure to invest in food security and farmers’ ability to grow food reliably, and a global food system which undermines countries’ food sovereignty and ability to provide for their own population. Needless to say, food security and sovereignty have been made much harder by changing weather patterns, which are becoming far more erratic and hostile, with increasingly frequent and severe droughts and floods, often in quick succession.

Compounding these long-term trends, the war in Ukraine has fractured global food and aid supplies, and caused food prices to rise dramatically. Food supplies are trapped in Russia and Ukraine, while aid budgets are being diverted to Ukraine and the surrounding countries, and appeals for this crisis are greatly reducing the available funding for areas where famine is developing so quickly. Masking all of this and keeping it out of the public gaze, the media is struggling to report beyond Ukraine, energy prices, the costs of living crisis, Partygate, COVID, Brexit, and a succession of psychodramas closer to home.

The good news is that, while the macro factors that undermine people’s ability to feed themselves are clearly beyond our immediate control at St Mary’s, we do know how to help people grow food for their families more reliably. As a parish, through the Faith in Action group, we have chosen to adopt Christian Aid as our international charity and are currently supporting their work with the Nandolo Farmers Association in Malawi. Just as in our own gardens, water conservation, better soil fertility and choosing more suitable seeds can break farmers’ reliance on continual rains and greatly increase their yields.

By careful terracing and contour ploughing, and by planting trees and shrubs that stabilise the soil, farmers can slow down the rain run-off, reduce soil erosion and ensure that more water is absorbed into the ground to replenish aquifers and raise the ground water. In closer proximity ploughing and planting methods can similarly retain much more moisture, bringing areas back into production. So transformative are these water-shed management measures that I have seen completely barren valleys, with no sign of water, flora or fauna most of the year, literally come back to life; ground water improves, plants start to sprout, trees and shrubs spring up, birds and animals return, and streams flow almost the whole year round.

Complementing these rain-fed measures, pumped irrigation systems – often now powered by solar energy – can water land throughout the year, allowing multiple annual harvests, and cash crops, to be grown, that can be sold in local markets for much needed income.

By composting, gathering manure, mulching and other practices, the organic content and moisture retention of the soil can be dramatically improved, greatly increasing crops’ yields and drought resistance. Learning from older people and working closely with government agricultural extension services, more appropriate and resilient seed varieties can be identified, grown and preserved for following years.

Storing the harvest well preserves the quality of the crops. Micro-finance schemes allow farmers to save and break their reliance on loan sharks who charge usurious rates and insist that loans are repaid immediately after the harvest, when prices are lowest. The combination of storage and finance breaks this form of indentured labour and allows farmers to make more rational choices about when and how much to sell, allowing them to do so when prices are higher and they can maximise their income. Many of these families have never had cash in their homes before, and now they can begin to afford basic health care, to buy school uniforms and to send their children to school.

These are differences that our work with Christian Aid in Nandolo is making; differences not just for this year but for the future. So, while we look at the developing global food crisis, we need not despair. We can increase people’s food security and help avoid future crises, and we are doing so. Please support the parish’s work with Christian Aid, and if you’d like to hear more about the difference Christian Aid makes, please come to the parish Forum on Sunday 12th June, when I’ll be explaining this work further.