Secure, reliable access to food is one of the basic building blocks that makes it possible for people to lift themselves out of poverty. However, after decades of progress, global hunger and severe food insecurity are on the rise.
Increasingly frequent and devastating climate shocks – droughts, floods and erratic rains – are placing further strain on communities already struggling under the pressure of poverty.
Many of Tearfund's local partners work in communities who rely on rain-fed agriculture. These families bear the heaviest burden of weather extremes and natural disasters, despite contributing the least to global emissions.
Last year, Tearfund partners saw these impacts firsthand:
For rural families with no financial safety nets and very little savings, these weather extremes can have a devastating impact on their way of life. Tearfund’s partners walk with communities so they don’t face a future of uncertainty alone. Through climate-resilient agriculture, livelihood diversification and savings groups families are able to build futures that can endure the challenges of a changing climate.
Conflict remains the most powerful driver of the global food crisis, accounting for the largest share of people facing life-threatening hunger. According to the 2026 Global Report on Food Crisis*, conflict is the root cause for more than 50 percent of affected populations and it’s what has led to famine in Sudan and parts of the Gaza strip.
Conflict forces families from their homes and livelihoods, disrupts supply chains and can dismantle critical local infrastructure, including health centres and access to clean water, leaving malnourished children and families exposed to disease.
Economic instability closely follows conflict. The World Bank reports that 40% of people living in fragile and conflict-affected situations endure the impacts of extreme poverty and bear the growing burden of hunger. In places like Yemen and Myanmar, prolonged conflict has compounded economic shocks, which are then further amplified by climate disasters.
Furthermore, the escalation of conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global shipping and trade routes, driving up the cost of staple foods, fuel and fertiliser worldwide. Countries that rely heavily on these imports bear the brunt of impacts. Rural farmers, unable to afford basic supplies like fertiliser and already struggling with changing weather patterns, makes growing vital food even harder.
Tearfund Australia’s local partners are on the ground working with communities hit hard by this crisis including Afghanistan, Yemen, Myanmar, Mozambique, Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia and Zambia.
By investing in climate-resilient agriculture and sustainable livelihoods, Tearfund partners are helping communities adapt and secure food for the future.
Marlon Phiri, the Executive Director of ROCS in Zambia believes we can do great things when we work together arm-in-arm towards God’s vision of abundance:
In my language we say “Pangono pangono ni mtolo”: Little by little, we make a bundle. So if you get a twig and the other one gets a twig, then hundreds of us put out twigs together, it will be a huge, huge bundle. And if we light a fire, it will be a huge, huge flame.
Read 'Hope Restored on a Hillside in Afghanistan' to see how our partners in Afghanistan are building this bundle with your support.
Even in places marked by adversity, hope can take root. We see it through our partners in Afghanistan, who helped Amir overcome the trauma of a landmine injury....
Read moreTearfund’s local partners are working alongside their communities to tackle the root causes of poverty, including climate-driven food insecurity.
* Global Report on Food Crises (GRFC) 2026 by The World Food Programme
