africa is the main famine effected continent in the world.
where is the main famine effected continent in the world?
africa
the 1949 famine was centered on the shire highlands and around the shores of lake malawi and, as the last major famine in this area was in 1926, it was unexpected and unprepared for. the rains failed in december and again in march: the worst affected areas had less than half their normal rain. the maize crop was only 65 to 70% of the normal harvests of 1950 and 1951 and was preceded by two quite poor harvests, which reduced smallholders’ reserves. government and mission employees, many urban workers and some estate tenants received free or subsidised food or food on credit, but those less able to cope and those already in poverty suffered most. traditionally, rural women in nyasaland shared food with their neighbours and distant relatives, and this continued in the early stages of the 1949 famine. however, as it progressed, food was only shared with close family members, not remoter relatives, and the old, the young and widows, deserted wives or the wives of absent migrant workers were excluded from food sharing. the term “ganyu" originally meant the food or beer given to neighbours in appreciation of their help with agricultural tasks. however,its use as the term for the work a poor person did for food or cash for more prosperous neighbours arose in the mid-1950s, in response to the 1949-50 famine. in 1949 and 1950, 25,000 tons of food were imported to counteract the famine, although initial deliveries were delayed. the official mortality figure was 100 to 200 deaths, but the true number of may have been higher, and there was severe food shortage and hunger in 1949 and 1950. a detailed study of this famine concluded that large areas of uncultivated land on private estates in the shire highlands were not available to african cultivators, who lived on overcrowded crown land, where growing tobacco competed with food crops, creating food insecurity. the formation if a maize control board, established in 1947 may also have worsened the situation. although it was set up to guarantee minimum prices, even in years of surpluses and paying the same prices in remote areas as in accessible ones, it hoped to create a grain reserve against famine. however, when it was set up, most malawian families grew their own food, and the few urban and plantation workers could be supplied locally. this, and the maize control board's policy of keeping prices low through concerns about over-producing maize inhibited commercial grain markets developing. its first years of operation, 1947 and 1948 coincided with poor harvests, and in those years it bought a less than half its estimated requirements in those years. following the famine, the production of tobacco in the affected areas decreased and maize control board prices for maize were increased. the maize control board had purchased just over 7,000 tons if maize in 1948: its successors purchased 30,000 tons in 1964 and 128,000 tons in 1979, showing that malawi's maize trade was under-developed in 1949.
agriculture in malawi
paulinus arrived in bernicia in 625 to convince edwin to accept baptism. edwin allowed his daughter eanfled to be baptised, and vowed to accept baptism himself if his campaign against cwichelm of wessex was successful. bede recounts that edwin was finally baptised on 12 april 627, but he does not appear to have made any effort to convert his subjects. he died in 633 and osric and eanfrith, his cousin and nephew respectively, took over bernicia and deira. osric and eanfrith had both accepted baptism while in exile with the picts, but upon taking their thrones reverted their kingdoms to paganism. they were both killed by cadwallon ap cadfan of gwynedd in 634, who was in turn killed by eanfrith's brother oswald in the same year. oswald had been baptised while in exile with the scots, and had persuaded his council to accept baptism if they were victorious against cadwallon. oswald requested missionaries to convert the pagan bernicians and deirans. the first bishop to try eventually gave up and returned to iona, reporting that the northumbrians were ardently pagan and refusing to convert. aidan arrived in 635 and spent the rest of his life converting the northumbrians, dying in 651.
christianisation of anglo-saxon england