This is not the same old story of drought equals famine in Africa. This time, there is hunger in the huts for reasons that have little to do with the weather.

Christian Science Monitor staff writer Danna Harman and staff photographer Andy Nelson spent three weeks traveling in Southern Africa, delving into the causes of the growing food crisis. Amid the desperation, they found a determination to address the primarily manmade problems. This is the first in a four-part series.

The Liberty Grace set sail from Louisiana on a hot, sticky evening in late August. Capt. John Codispoti and his crew steered downriver to the mouth of the Mississippi, across the Gulf of Mexico, and in the early morning hours of Sept. 3, hit the open ocean and turned toward Africa.

On board, sealed in six cavernous holds, were 50,000 tons of yellow corn kernels � a small part of the US government's donation to an international emergency effort to help 14.5 million men, women, and children facing hunger in six Southern African countries.

	Part I Troubled reform Corruption in Zimbabwe. Part II Unlevel fields Subsidies and trade barriers. Part III Genetic ban The genetic-modification debate. Part IV Lost generation Farm labor is decimated by AIDS. Also: Ways to help
	Reporters on the Job: Danna Harman gives the story behind the story.
	A spiritual view: Feeding the hungry
	monitortalk: Read the Q&A transcript Hunger in Africa: how can we prevent it?