In Malawi, where 40 per cent of the population needs food aid, the country's bishops have called for international help to avert a crisis.
It is "disheartening and painful to think of our 6.5 million brothers and sisters" needing humanitarian assistance, the Episcopal Conference of Malawi said in a July 1 statement signed by its chairman, Bishop Thomas Msusa of Blantyre.
At least 6.5 million people will be food insecure in the coming year, according to a May government assessment. Malawi has a population of 16 million people.
