When food aid becomes a punchline on Saturday Night Live, it's a sign our current solutions aren't working. From a Zimbabwean farmer who taught agricultural techniques to the very people who seized his land, to entrepreneurs transforming Africa's vast untapped agricultural potential, discover how innovative approaches are tackling world hunger. Journey through stories of forgiveness, technological advancement, and sustainable farming that aren't just feeding people – they're unlocking human potential on a massive scale.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to Chuck Bentley for hosting and narrating this episode, to Craig Deall for sharing his powerful story of forgiveness and transformation, Ndidi Nwuneli for her strategic insights on African agriculture, Richard Okello of Sango Capital for his perspective on investment opportunities, and the President of Madagascar for highlighting the implementation of Foundations for Farming in his country. Additional gratitude to the team at Crown Financial Ministries and the Christian Economic Forum for their support in producing this episode.
SNL They need your help. And for only $0.39 a day, you can provide water, food and medicine for these people. Just $0.39. That's less than a small cup of coffee. But it can make all the difference in the world to the people of this village.
Ask for more. Sorry. Ask for more money. Why stock so long?
As you can see, these villagers are desperate for your help, so don't hesitate to pick up the phone. You know what they should. Commercials. A word. Dial the number and send over $0.39. That's all we need. Start higher. I know, right?
Chuck Bentley The fact that poverty relief efforts are a topic ripe for satire and Saturday Night Live fodder is ironic, discouraging, funny, frustrating. No matter your reaction. There's an issue here, and it's an issue that's core to the mission here in solving the world's greatest problems. When something becomes a punch line, it usually means we've stopped believing we can fix it. Some problems are so massive, so overwhelming that society turns them into jokes rather than facing them head on. But that shouldn't be where the conversation ends.
To be clear, hunger and food scarcity is a big deal. It's a serious issue. It's mentioned throughout the gospels. Frankly, when well-meaning solutions to a crisis are being ridiculed, that should be a flashing neon sign to us that our current solutions aren't working. It's time to innovate. It's time to rethink and get creative again.
I'm Chuck Bentley, CEO of Crown Financial Ministries and founder of the Christian Economic Forum. Our vision is God inspired solutions to the world's greatest challenges, and hunger is at the very baseline of problems that we've been successfully addressing. Now, I'm also a board member of Foundations for Farming, something we'll get into in a little bit. I'm here because I work with people who aren't afraid to address big problems. And food insecurity is a massive one.
For example, imagine filling every major football stadium in America with people and then multiply that by ten. That's roughly how many people 733 million face chronic hunger every day. How would you like to eat less than 750 calories a day with no end to your daily hunger or weakness?
And here's the cruel irony. We already grow enough food to feed all 8 billion people on Earth. But something is wrong with this picture. Why in the 21st century have we not been able to get everyone enough food to live on? Chronic food poverty impacts 27% of children under the age of five globally, equating to 181 million children with the majority residing in Africa. Speaking of Africa, it's the continent with the largest percentage of the population facing hunger more than 20%, along with 58% of the population facing moderate or severe food insecurity. That's nearly double the global average.
The paradox is that Africa is also home to the largest amount of arable farmland. And while global food scarcity did go down for the last 20 years with the rise of food prices, the UN is projecting a sharp increase. In fact, if the current trends continue, around 580 million people will remain undernourished and hungry by 2030. So what are we supposed to do about that? Well, I'm glad you ask. That's exactly why we're here.
Narrator To act, too. Dire circumstances are the mother of invention.
Craig Deall You know, in those scriptures said to you, when your enemy is hungry, give them something to eat. Your natural flesh will say, Well, why should I feed my enemy? It's just going to make you stronger to hurt me even more. But Jesus has another way. Jesus says, No, that's not my way. That's the world's make my way. Just do what I say and watch what I do. And that's what he did in our land. We just were obedient. We did what he said.
And the scripture says that if a man steals your coat, give him your tunic as well. And it's I think we're sending six. For us that meant if a man steals your farm, teach him how to farm.
Chuck Bentley That's Craig Deall. And when he's talking about a man having their farm stolen, he isn't being metaphorical. That's a true story. In fact, it's his story. Craig was born and raised in Zimbabwe. For most of us, it's impossible for us to imagine what Craig, his wife and his neighbors experienced under the desperate rule of Robert Mugabe.
Through the 1980s, government officials in Zimbabwe forced thousands of industrial farmers to give up their land without compensation. In a moment. Generations of family wealth were gone. Some face physical threats and violence. But that's when something remarkable happened. The people who took over the land didn't actually know how to farm it at a time when others might have said he had the right to be angry or upset and fight back, Craig chose to forgive and then to serve. He went as far as to stay on the land and work for those who took it from him.
Craig Deall I bought the farm back in 1986. Robert Mugabe had been in power for six years already by then, so there's often the unfair assertion that we stole the land. I bought it legally through the Zimbabwe system. So having farmed there for 25 years, myself and my father, long before that, we suddenly were thrown out and had to migrate to the city and see what we could do from there.
But it was a time of God was really working in me because he uses broken people and he was only able to use me once. I'd been broken down in this way and knocked out all my pride and my arrogance. Now, no option is wrong. But for us as a family, we decided that forgiving was our option. Some of my friends try to fight and they indeed got killed. And I respect them for that. For fighting. Many did. 90%, I think of my friends left the country.
But we felt as a family, as I said, no option is wrong. But we felt as a family that if we were going to go to another country. And if you're carrying your rucksack of bitterness, there's no nation on the world far enough away. It still smells. And you can't deal with the bitterness even outside the country. So we took the forgiveness road, which probably, I believe is the hardest thing, because forgiveness is a is an action. You know, sometimes you do something and your heart will follow. You don't wake up one day and just feel, forgive me.
Chuck Bentley Craig's story of forgiveness reached its fullest test years later when he encountered a very government official who had orchestrated the seizure of his farm. Sitting face to face across the desk from the man who had once marched him into a kangaroo court and ridiculed him. Craig did something extraordinary. He asked that man for forgiveness, for the bitterness he had carried towards those who unlawfully took his own farm.
Now, this radical forgiveness would become the foundation for something even bigger. Todd wasn't just transforming Craig's heart. He was preparing him to help transform a nation. Today, the Zimbabwean government that once seized Craig's farm now promotes his work through foundations for farming. Their program is called From Foods A It's a Shona word that means a new beginning, and it has already been adopted by 1.6 million small scale farmers, with a total of 2 million households now implementing it in Zimbabwe alone.
These revolutionary techniques, modified from principles in conservation agriculture allow small scale farmers, most of whom live below the subsistence level, not only to survive, but to thrive by feeding their families and selling a surplus crop without having to purchase anything. They can thrive using what they already have. No foreign aid, micro loans, expensive equipment or chemical inputs.
Now, if it sounds like a simple idea, that's because it is the education that foundations for farming is providing to local farmers isn't complicated, but it is truly life changing for both the farmers and the people who can now purchase the food that they need to survive. And this vision is continuing to spread. Today, foundations for farming is teaching zero tillage conservation agriculture with specialized methods not only in Zimbabwe, but also in more than 30 nations in Africa and other continents. With stewardship centers emerging in Canada, India, Latin America and even the UK. Here's just one example of how Craig's work is impacting families everywhere.
Foundations For Farming In the hearts of Africa, there's a place filled with the world glory and abundance of Eden. A forgotten land with the rhythm of hope is rustling through the fields. A land where he was cascade into the abyss, creating the smoke that thunders must see at two in the. The rugged majesty of this joyful land and the warm house that caused it home. Breathe life to this soul.
In Africa, 80% of the population relies on production from small farms to feed their families. Fewer and fewer are able to do so. There's an answer to the culvert in the hangar. That is dope. This beautiful country. It is as simple as it is hopeful. Foundations for farming teaches farmers to become faithful stewards of nature. We trained people to use a sustainable, nature based farming methods. These simple climate smart farming methods regenerate soil and feed their families. With conditions for farming will bring a message of hope and healing to this heading men. Look what is in my field. I'm happy with this joint with my family. Thank you very much.
Chuck Bentley What makes foundations for farming so impactful isn't just the literal fruits of their labor. It's the spiritual fruits as well. Everything they do is connected to the gospel, to the story of God's creation and to timeless biblical truth.
Foundations For Farming And I was reading Romans chapter one versus 18 and 22 right in the middle of that portion. If you look at as an actual creation, you as an excuse, there must be a god. That means you see his ways as well. And we have some natural creation, some virgin bush on the farm. So I went and had a look and I sat down in the ground and I let it before God and just said, Lord, this is your soil. These are your plants. Will you show me how you grow a natural creation?
And I sat there just looking, waiting on God. And then I noticed. The leaves fall down in the ground and the grass dies down. And there's a beautiful protective blanket over the earth. So when I touched it, it was nice and soft and didn't get too hard. And I carried on looking. I saw there's no soil invasion in natural creation. And I saw that the plants don't die of lack of nutrition or disease or pests. God has sustained it.
So I said yes. So I thought, this is the way you farm and that's your creation. And Jesus says, Only do it. My father. Does he see what my father says? My father farms like that. Surely I can add a tiny bit of face cream. A little hard to try. We had a thousand hectic program of major written sales and it was failing the last chance at the bank. And of course we were flying deeply. But I turned to actors and I prayed for wisdom and we planted maize into each straw without only applying great wisdom. How to do that?
All my friends laughed at me and said, Are you wasting your time? And then the academic community said, It's my time. I was determined to do the small piece of two hectares on a thousand hectares, try to do it as best I could say it, with on sale at the highest standard, and that year we ended up getting 20 tonnes from two hectares, which was in terms of hectare, a national average is half of tonight. That gave me encouragement to do 50 hectares the next year, 100 hectares the next year, then 200 hectares in 500 hectares and within six years the whole farm was down to a thousand hectares when we made a profit ever since.
And then continued profitability due to the fact that we bought the farms. It was failing around us and eventually after 12 years it became 3500 hectares of net cropping area, 1250 hectares that we got a message from. In front of me was 17km, agreeing, creating the solution mazing trial. And then, of course, the river was brown. No trees. Poverty. Hunger. And was looking out there. God said, You see, the harvest is wide for harvest. Once you've seen that many workers internet talk street.
Chuck Bentley Years ago, when I first heard Craig story at the Christian Economic Forum, I knew we had to get involved. Here was someone who had taken the hardest road possible forgiveness in the face of losing everything unlawfully and turned it into a solution that is now helping millions. In 2021, we honored Craig with CFR Extraordinary Impact Award.
But more importantly, we committed to helping foundations perform and expand their vision across Africa. I got to see it with my own eyes, watching farmers learn these simple but revolutionary techniques. Seeing the joy on their faces when they produced their first surplus crop. This wasn't just about teaching agriculture. It was about dignity, about empowerment. About showing people that God's creation holds the answers. If we're willing to work in harmony with it rather than against it in just one province in Zimbabwe, Mashonaland Central. This method tripled maize production from 182,000 tons to 545,000 tonnes.
Think about that. Tripling food production using less resources, not more. This type of increased productivity is indicative of what Africa can offer the entire world. For example, Africa has 60% of the world's uncultivated arable land, meaning it has the potential for its food and agricultural market to explode. It could grow from 280 billion and GDP in 2023 to over a trillion by 2030. For comparison's sake, the average American farm worker produces agricultural value of over a hundred thousand annually, while an African farm worker produces just $1,526. This massive disparity actually represents opportunity. It shows how much room there is for improvement. Through better practices.
President of Madagascar We have been able to benefit from the Foundation for Farming training on the agricultural technique. It is a method based on biblical principles that will allow thousands, even millions, of families, to feed themselves while also increasing agricultural yields in Madagascar. The technique is a method that is currently being deployed throughout the entire country here in Madagascar, and we have already trained nearly 6000 farmers.
Nevertheless, this is just the beginning and the path is still slow because we plan to train 1 million people over the next five years to lead the Malagasy population towards food self-sufficiency. As I often say, a good father is one who knows how to feed his family, and a good president is one who knows how to feed his people. Every day I commit to being that good president for the Malagasy people and to meet this challenge and achieve our goals.
The help of our partners is essential in the face of the necessity to feed an ever growing global population. It is estimated that up to more than 800 million hectares of agricultural land would be needed. Madagascar has more than 36 million hectares of arable land, offering immense potential to bridge this global food gap. We have the natural resources, fertile soils and favorable climate to be a major agricultural breadbasket. However, to fully exploit this potential, we must innovate and rethink our agricultural techniques.
Chuck Bentley That's the president in Madagascar singing the praises of foundations for farming and the collaborative work happening through the Christian Economic Forum. You can see more about this incredible work on a short video from CEF that we captured about foundations for farming and their remarkable progress on the Solving the World's Greatest Problems website. Because Africa produces 1.75 tons per hectare compared to America's 8.27 tonnes. Increase in the practice of time tested farming techniques could cause the same land to produce nearly five times as much food.
That is, and what really moved me when I first heard Craig's story. What opened my eyes was watching the ripple effects. Young college graduates who couldn't find jobs or becoming agricultural entrepreneurs. Communities that had been dependent on food aid were now feeding themselves and selling their surplus. This wasn't just changing farms. It was changing lives. Now, this is the work that Christians are called to do. Craig's work is transforming Zimbabwe, but he's not alone in this mission. Across the continent, visionary leaders are tackling food scarcity head on. Now, one of those leaders is in Ndidi Nwuneli. And she's angry, but not in the way you might think.
Ndidi Nwuneli You know, seeing the face of Africa be hungry child makes me angry. And I believe we can change that narrative as Christians and as people of faith. And so that propels me.
Chuck Bentley That righteous anger has driven in duty to action. She sees Africa not as a continent of scarcity, but as a sleeping giant of agricultural potential.
Ndidi Nwuneli Africa is huge, and most maps that we've been conditioned to see from our childhood don't represent the massive scale. So 80% of the world's arable land is on the African continent. Africa also has 1.2 billion people and it's projected to double by 2050.
Chuck Bentley But having the resources isn't enough. She says agriculture is more than just farming. It's an entire ecosystem of opportunity. And she's right.
Ndidi Nwuneli I think agriculture is such an amazing sector because it's very diverse and also has quite a few intervention areas. In our context, we talk about from farm to fork and everything in between, from primary production to logistics and storage and processing. Financial services, technology support all the way down to restaurants and ships until it gets to your tummy.
Chuck Bentley And here's what makes Indebted Vision so compelling. She's not just talking about feeding people. She's talking about transformation on a massive scale.
Ndidi Nwuneli Agriculture can employ millions of people, ensuring food security, contributing to development. And if you're an investor who wants to change lives while also making money, this is the best sector for you. You can do well and do good. And that's why the sector excites me and why it's so compelling to local and international investors.
Chuck Bentley When you combine this kind of strategic thinking with the on the ground training that organizations like Foundation for Farming are providing, you start to see how seemingly insurmountable problems become solvable. You begin to understand how righteous anger can fuel positive change and most importantly, realize that when it comes to food scarcity, we're not just talking about feeding people.
Narrator Act three. This is not just a food issue. It's a gateway to flourishing.
Chuck Bentley When we talk about solving food scarcity, we're actually talking about unlocking human potential on a massive scale. I want you to think about this. Africa currently spends $78 billion annually importing food despite having 60% of world's uncultivated arable land. That's not just a food problem. It's a resource allocation problem that affects everything downstream.
Ndidi Nwuneli In the agricultural landscape. Africa is naturally endowed for agricultural excellence. We have 60% of the world's arable land. And yet when that's important, food one out of every three children is stunted. I recognize that there's a fundamental problem, and it's actually a management problem where you have fragmented ecosystems.
Chuck Bentley Think about the side effects of hunger for a second. When a child is hungry, they can't focus in school. When a parent is worried about their next meal, they can't think about starting a business. When a country is spending billions on food imports, they can't invest in infrastructure or education or small businesses. But when we solve food scarcity, we create a cascade of positive change.
Richard Okello is the co-founder of Sango Capital, an investment firm specializing in private equity opportunities across Africa. His work focuses on identifying high growth businesses and fostering economic development throughout the continent by leveraging innovative investment strategies tailored to the unique challenges and opportunities in African markets, including the food industry. After all, solving food scarcity isn't just about food production. If the farmers grow more food, but the food isn't distributed where needed, have we succeeded? This conversation on food scarcity has many levels, including creating sustainable systems that enable access, affordability and stability across the entire supply chain. Let's hear Richard's take.
Richard Okello If you think carefully about what happens when people organize grocery retail, it starts to change their behavior. They can get home to their kids and help them with homework because they don't have to be stuck in traffic trying to go to market.
Chuck Bentley Two hours away to get basic right. And the numbers tell an incredible story of potential. Africa's food and agricultural market could grow from $280 billion today to $1 trillion by 2030. But this isn't just about market size. It's about transformation in farmers move from subsistence to surplus. They create jobs when food becomes reliable and accessible. Communities can then focus on education and innovation. When countries become food secure, they can invest in their future rather than just surviving from day to day.
This isn't theoretical to me. It's happening in places where food systems have improved. We see higher school attendance and better academic performance. Increased entrepreneurship. Larger and growing middle classes. Improved Health. Greater participation of women in the workforce. Support for the local church. Expansion of regional stability.
Ndidi Nwuneli Agriculture can employ millions of people, ensuring food security, contributing to development. And if you're an investor who wants to change lives while also making money, this is the best sector for you. You can do well and do good.
Chuck Bentley This is why solving food scarcity isn't just about feeding people. It's about unleashing human potential. It's about creating the conditions where innovation, education and entrepreneurship can flourish. It's about solving more than just one problem.
Narrator Act four Build. Invest. Give.
Chuck Bentley World. Hunger is a big problem. One of the very biggest. But as we've heard today, it's not unsolvable. When we think of the world's greatest problems, there's an interconnected nature to many of them. Things like joblessness, hunger are also interrelated.
To put context on this, let's look at one investment that created thousands of jobs and created real change on the ground. For investors looking to make an impact while earning returns. Companies like Talenton and are finding innovative agriculture businesses that can transform entire communities. One of these is Kentegra, a US Kenya company that's revolutionizing farming in Kenya.
Here's how it works. Kentegra Partners with farmers to grow a special flower called the Pi Rhythm. These small white flowers contain a natural ingredient used to make insecticides. Think of it as a natural alternative to the chemical bug sprays you buy to store. For generations, Kenyan farmers have prayed for the day that God makes the fields white with pi rhythm again, knowing these flowers could provide a good living for their families.
They can take or does much more than just buy flowers from farmers. They create a complete support system. They test the soil to make sure it's good for growing. They provide all the seeds and materials needed to start. And then they send agricultural experts like foundations for Farming to teach the farmers the best growing methods. And perhaps most importantly, they guarantee payment within two weeks through mobile phone payments. No more waiting months to get paid, like with traditional crops.
Take Claris, one of their farmers. She started with a tiny plot of land about the size of a backyard with containers help. She's grown her farm to six times the original size. Her income went from $50 a month to $50 a week because she can harvest these flowers every two weeks. That reliable income means her four children and family can be well fed. They can now go to school. She could buy a home. She can even hire others from her community to help with her farm.
Once Quintero buys these flowers, they process them to extract a natural insecticide ingredient, which they sell to companies making natural pest control products. They recently been approved to sell in Europe, opening up a market of 450 million people. That is Kenyan farmers products.
If you're looking to give foundations for farming is an excellent choice. As Craig Deall. Shared earlier, their story isn't limited to a small farm in a tiny locale. They're creating a system through redemptive entrepreneurship that's changing the food production culture of an entire nation, even continents. World hunger is a big problem. One of the biggest. But as we've heard, it's not unsolvable.
There's a farming method that's capturing the attention of nations and prime ministers. There are systems working against the downstream ways hunger is hindered, human flourishing. There are organizations pushing back against the cycles of endless aid and instead creating sustainable chances for flourishing. There are unique ways to gather and invest in the future. Ultimately, there are people, through the power of the Holy Spirit, moving and changing the way we view this issue. And with your help, we will continue to solve these problems.
I want to thank you for listening to this episode of Solving the World's Greatest Problems. You can find links to the solutions mentioned above, as well as so many others that we're continuing to find and add that solving the world's greatest problems.org. We'll see you next time.