DROUGHT PUSHES MALAWI VILLAGERS TO EAT TOXIC YAMS

Villagers in drought-stricken Malawi are resorting to digging up, boiling and eating potentially poisonous wild tubers. An intense dry spell - the worst in 100 years - has destroyed crops, creating a food crisis. Maize production is down 30% on last year, according to the UN’s World Food Programme - with 40% of the population facing a hunger emergency in the country, which largely depends on rain-fed agriculture. To compound matters, Malawi is also in the grip of a severe cholera outbreak. The authorities have now launched a programme to buy and distribute maize, drawing on international aid. The drought has been declared a national emergency. Other countries in the region - such as Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia, which also rely on agriculture - are being hurt by the lack of rain as well, and have also declared drought emergencies.