Always balanced on a razor's edge, Malawi's farming communities are struggling this year, because of the recent extreme dry spells. Crops have withered on the land. The result—poor yields. Again, the specter of food insecurity has been raised in parts of this country that relies so heavily on its small farming communities. And again, those most vulnerable, already relying on food assistance for their survival, will bear the brunt of general food insecurity.

Members of the global alliance Action by Churches Together (ACT) International in Malawi, known as the ACT Forum, report that immediate household food shortages caused by the low yields from current crops are an early indicator that whole communities may experience food shortages later this year. The ACT Forum reports that the months of August through April 2006 will be particularly difficult, if appropriate interventions are not put in place.

Rains have been erratic in most parts of the country this year, adding to the pressure (made worse by previous food shortages) on poor farming communities and subsistence farmers. Although the rainfall had been good for several weeks from mid-November—important for this year's crop-growing season—it dried up towards the end of December. The south of the country in particular experienced a very dry spell in January and February—a time when crops needed enough water to grow. Fields of maize (a staple food), rice, groundnuts and beans (important sources of protein) were hit particularly hard. High temperatures only added to the farmers' woes.

In Nsanje district in the south of Malawi, 37 percent of the 75,060 households are already facing food shortages. The area was hit with a dry spell around mid-January, with devastating consequences to millet, sorghum and maize crops. The ACT Forum reports that "the situation is irreversible, because the crops reached a permanent wilting point with the scorching sun."

"The situation is expected to deteriorate further during the months April to August 2005 when the little food crops farmers have harvested will have run out," the reports continues.

However, the situation may improve between August and December if farmers embark on winter cultivation methods and production conditions do not change for the worse. But, winter crops will only be possible if farmers on the Shire River banks are given seeds for planting, hence the pressure to provide adequate interventions.

Similar conditions have been reported in other districts in the country. Chikwawa District's farming community of 114,693 farming families is facing a situation where it is feared that harvests will drop by 80 percent, according to a Ministry of Agriculture report this year. Neno District, which is also in the south of the country, and bordered by Balaka and Blantyre to the southeast, Mwanza to the south, Ntcheu to the north and Mozambique to the west, is a mountainous region, with 85 percent of the area semi arid or arid. Again, a dry spell wreaked havoc with crops, mainly mangoes and citrus fruits. An assessment of the situation by the Blantyre Synod revealed a need for immediate intervention. Phalombe District too suffered crop failures because of the dry spell, with a projected reduction of 58 percent in crop yields. "Hunger is now looming in most of the farming families of 66,722. This is an alarming situation that needs an immediate intervention," according to the ACT Forum.

Karongo District is one of the northern districts in the country hit hard by several disasters this season. This has included an armyworm infestation, floods and a drought. Most of the crops that had not been washed away in the floods, were destroyed by the worms. The sun saw to the destruction of the remaining crops, scorching them on the land. Areas most affected by the disasters are the central part of the district and Mlare. Assessments indicate that of the 64,410 farming families in the region, 13,082 are already facing food shortages.

The situation in other areas in the northern and central regions of the country has been better overall. The area from north Kasungu and north Nkhota-kota to Chitipa, where the Synod of Livingstonia is implementing its programs, has had good rainfall and most crops are in excellent condition. However, other disasters have struck, such as a cyclone in Chintheche in Nkhata-Bay in the first week of December, leaving 33 households homeless after the roofs of their houses were blown off. Another 21 households had their cassava fields destroyed.

A severe hailstorm in the third week of December last year destroyed, in particular, tall crops in north Kasungu (Lodjwa), leaving people without food, as they depended on these crops to bridge the food gap between harvests. Other farmers had their sweet potato nurseries wiped out, leaving them with no planting material.

Chitipa also experienced severe infestations by armyworms that destroyed cassava and maize crops and rice nurseries. In Chitipa alone, 1,504 hectares of land was laid waste.

Seasonal disasters have severe consequences for vulnerable communities that rely entirely on their harvests, with no other means of supplementing their income of food stocks. The ACT Forum in Malawi expressed their concern that groups such children below the age of five, patients relying on home-based care, the elderly and female-headed households will be particularly vulnerable should food shortages become entrenched.