A crop dying due to drought in Southeast Africa.

Drought is the main cause of famine in developing parts of the world. A drought happens when an area gets no rain for a long period of time. The result? Crops wilt and die. Southeast Africa experienced drought in 2002. For months, there was no rain, and millions of people starved to death.

Flood waters covered Pakistan in 2010.

 

Flooding can destroy crops even faster than drought. Too much rain arrives all at once. Seedlings get washed away and mature plants rot in fields before farmers can harvest them. In 2010, Pakistan experienced heavy rains, which led to horrible flooding. Over 1600 people were killed, millions were left homeless, and half a million tonnes each of sugar and wheat were destroyed.