ABANDONMENT OF RURAL AUSTRALIA IS FUELLING A FOOD CRISIS

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After more than two centuries of living off “golden soil and wealth for toil”, feeding itself and millions of people overseas, Australia is facing an agricultural Armageddon that is fast approaching. My last post was “Australia Has Abandoned Its Christian Foundations” and now we are facing food shortages.

Overseas, severe drought and freeze damage push U.S. winter wheat to historic lows, threatening yields, commodity prices, and the broader agricultural supply chain. Ukraine is a key producer and exporter of food staples, such as wheat and maize. Some 90% of its wheat exports went to Africa and Asia between 2016 and 2021, supporting food security in some of the most disadvantaged regions of the world. The global food supply remains insecure as the war and Russia’s blockage of the Black Sea ports reduces Ukraine’s ability to export grain and foodstuff to the global market.

For so long, as Australian farmers have fed and clothed the nation, there has been so much abundance, allowing for seemingly ever-increasing exports of excess food and fibre, with always rising value, that along with mining have formed the foundation of the economy. Such bounty has given rise to the boast that we feed 80 million people.

But despite high prices for exports and recent strong rains boosting crops, the reality is our agricultural production, as opposed to value, particularly in the national Murray-Darling Basin food bowl, is flatlining.

What’s more, population growth, agricultural water short­ages and the alienation of arable land have combined to raise the spectre that Australia could become a net importer in some areas of basic foods during the next decade.

Based on figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, the projected shortfalls for basic food production on annual per capita consumption by 2040 include 47 per cent for pork, 40 per cent for butter, 21 per cent for eggs, 16 per cent for apples, 15 per cent for chicken, 14 per cent for rice and 7 per cent for cheese.

There are even less conservative estimates that suggest Australia could become a net importer of food and fibre by 2037.

Famines along with earthquakes are two of the end times signs given by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse. I have written on earthquakes in recent posts as a result of recent severe earthquake activity in Venezuela and Columbia.

“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Matthew 24:7

Hunger is at crisis levels in countries across the globe – but where is food insecurity highest? According to the latest UN Hunger Hotspots (June-November 2026), the countries most at risk of hunger are:

  • Countries with highest concern:  Nigeria, Palestine, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen
  • Countries with very high concern:  Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Haiti 
  • Other hunger hotspots: Lebanon, Madagascar, Mali, Myanmar 

END TIMES PROPHECIES BEING FULFILLED – FAMINES, PESTILENCES, EARTHQUAKES, WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS

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“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.” Matthew 24:6-8

South Sudan is facing a confluence of humanitarian crises that are pushing the country to the brink of starvation. Conflict in neighbouring Sudan has caused over 692,000 people to flee into the country, hyperinflation is crippling the economy, climate change impacts continue to wreak havoc and all the while, the Humanitarian Aid Fund is only at 16%. At the same time, forecasts indicate that there will be above-normal rainfall in July following heavy rains that affected several areas in East Africa earlier this year. Already, 46% of South Sudan’s, 5.83 million people, were facing a worsening hunger situation with reports indicating that 1.7 million children could face malnutrition in 2024. Combined these factors are placing millions of lives and livelihoods at immediate risk. “The humanitarian situation in South Sudan is getting worse every day,” said Abel Whande, CARE in South Sudan Country Director. “We are particularly concerned at the condition of women, girls, and children arriving at transit centres in Rienk and Bahr el Ghazal, as part of the dramatic increase in refugees escaping violence in Sudan.

Hyperinflation and currency depreciation have made access to basic necessities nearly impossible, with families spending most of their income on food. This economic crisis, combined with the aftermath of years of conflict, severely undermines the communities’ ability to rebuild and recover. Adding to the difficulties, South Sudan is also bearing the brunt of the extreme impacts of climate change. Extreme weather events, including floods and prolonged droughts, are destroying crops, displacing communities, and exacerbating food insecurity. These climate shocks are pushing already vulnerable people into deeper poverty and despair. CARE alongside South Sudan local organizations are working hard to support communities and the refugees and returnees however they can but the situation is overwhelming. “The influx of refugees and returnees while communities already are facing severe conditions worsen an already bad humanitarian situation, ” said Angelina Nyajima, CEO of Hope Restoration, one of CARE’s partners.

To avert a catastrophe, the international community must act swiftly. Increased funding for the humanitarian response is paramount. More specifically, support must extend to the host communities, those who generously share their limited resources with displaced families. And long-term solutions, like investments in infrastructure, agriculture, and education, are the only way to break the cycle of poverty and vulnerability that fuels conflict.

Source: Care International