A record-strength El Niño is intensifying in the Pacific, and forecasters say it could rival the strongest events ever recorded by the time it peaks late this year. The World Food Programme estimates it could push tens of millions of additional people into acute food insecurity, with Southern Africa among the hardest-hit regions — including Malawi, where crisis-level conditions are already being forecast for the coming lean season.

On this episode of Voices to End Hunger, host Minerva Delgado is joined by Chase Sova, Vice President of Advocacy & Engagement at World Food Program USA, and Yash Gharat, Malawi Country Director for One Acre Fund, to unpack what a warming Pacific means for the world's most vulnerable communities — connecting the dots between global climate forecasting and early action, government and community preparedness, and the day-to-day reality of smallholder farmers who may feel El Niño's effects long before they understand its cause.

Host: Minerva Delgado, Alliance to End Hunger

Guests:

Chase Sova, Vice President, Advocacy & Engagement, World Food Program USA;

Yash Gharat, Malawi Country Director, One Acre Fund

Learn More About:

World Food Program USA: https://wfpusa.org/

One Acre Fund: https://oneacrefund.org/

When the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) was signed into law in July 2025, it set in motion the most significant changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in a generation. More than a year later, those changes are no longer theoretical. Expanded paperwork requirements have already stripped exemptions from veterans, unhoused individuals, and former foster youth, while new state cost-share mandates are set to reshape how, and whether, states can sustain the program as federal funding recedes.

On this episode of Voices to End Hunger, host Minerva Delgado is joined by Karen Ehrens of the Alliance to End Hunger and Anna Grace Dastugue of the Tennessee Justice Center to unpack what has actually happened since OBBBA's signing, who is losing benefits and why, and what it all means for states and communities bracing for new administrative and financial burdens. Together they connect the national policy picture to the lived reality in Tennessee and beyond, giving advocates a clearer sense of what to watch for as implementation continues to unfold.

Host: Minerva Delgado, Alliance to End Hunger

Guests:

• Karen Ehrens, Alliance to End Hunger
• Anna Grace Dastugue, Tennessee Justice Center

Learn more about the Tennessee Justice Center at https://www.tnjustice.org/

Across the country, the Cooperative Extension System has served as a vital bridge between land-grant universities and the communities they serve—bringing research-based education directly to kitchen tables, classrooms, and community centers in every state. For decades, this network has been a cornerstone of nutrition education, especially for underserved and limited-resource families. On this episode of Voices to End Hunger, host Minerva Delgado speaks with Dr. Jo Britt-Rankin, Extension Professor in the Department of Health Sciences and Administrative Director for the University of Missouri Extension's SNAP-Ed and EFNEP programs. Together, they discuss the essential role Extension plays in advancing food and nutrition security, the recent elimination of SNAP-Ed funding and what it means for communities across Missouri and the nation, and how this century-old model of community-based education continues to adapt to meet new challenges.

Learn More:

Learn about the Cooperative Extension System, including programs in your own state, through the Extension Foundation: https://extension.org/

Developed by the University of Missouri, the Seasonal and Simple app provides users with ideas and simple recipes using locally-sourced seasonal produce in Missouri. On Play and Apple App stores as well as though this site: https://seasonalandsimple.info/