The earth is facing a terrible hunger crisis—and Africa is suffering its worst famine in half a Century. 925 million people are starving. 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes every day. Yet developing-world suffering seems far removed. So why would anyone care about a Kenyan farmer and mother of six? Because her story is emblematic of the problem. Global food production must double to feed the estimated 9.5 billion people by 2050. With most of the world’s farms already producing at maximum yield, where will this doubling come from? Africa is food’s final frontier.

Leonida Wanyama and her neighbors Rasoa Wasiki, Zipporah Biketi and Francis Mamate decided to join a project designed to help smallholder farmers grow more food, defeat persistent hunger, and raise income. Putting their trust in new methods and agricultural technologies is a leap of faith. “What if we fail?” Leonida worried. Would they go hungry, fail to pay school fees and go deeper in debt or will their success pave the way for other smallholder farmers to finally reach their full potential?

Portraying    the   stirrings    of    an    agricultural revolution in Africa, here is a documentary that puts a human face   on   the    issues   of   hunger, changing weather patterns, infrastructure, market access, and the use of technologies like hybrid   seed and fertilizer.
Filmed in western Kenya, the documentary bristles with an overriding wish for four   farm   families   to conquer the   hunger   season   once    and   for all—heightened by   the knowledge that they must, not just for themselves and Africa, but also for all of us.  

Produced   by   Courter Films   & Associates   in conjunction with acclaimed journalist Roger Thurow, author   of the documentary’s companion book and ENOUGH: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty (With Wall Street Journal colleague S. Kilman).

Documentary Educational Resources is our 501c3 fiscal sponsor for tax deductible and foundation donations. 

Roger Thurow is the author of The Last Hunger Season: A Year In An African Farm Community On The Brink Of Change and co-author of Enough: Why the World’s Poorest Starve in an Age of Plenty. He is the Executive Producer of The Last Hunger Season documentary film. He was a reporter at The Wall Street Journal for 30 years, 20 of them as a foreign correspondent based in Europe and Africa.  He has reported from more than two-dozen African countries and written extensively about the humanitarian and development issues of the continent.  After leaving the Journal, he joined the Chicago Council on Global Affairs as Senior Fellow for Global Agriculture and Food Policy where he currently writes for many outlets and speaks from many platforms.  Thurow writes a weekly “Outrage and Inspire” column for the Council’s Global Food for Thought blog and he is also a ONE agricultural fellow contributing periodically to their ONE BLOG. Both columns circulate widely through the global development community.
In 2003, he and Journal colleague Scott Kilman (co-author of Enough) wrote a series of stories on famine in Africa that was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in International Reporting. Their reporting on humanitarian and development issues was also honored by the United Nations. In 2009, they were awarded Action Against Hunger’s Humanitarian Award and the Harry Chapin World Hunger Year (WHY) book award.  It was a finalist for the New York Public Library Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism and also a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.

Giulia Longo Courter received her degree from Ravensbourne College of Arts and Design in London, where she produced two short films and added an independent sustainability model to her studies.  Upon graduation in 2005, she was honored as one of the 25 most talented students in the UK.  Giulia’s passion for people and cultures set her on a journey to search for more responsible consumerism aimed at developing indigenous communities around the world. She has traveled extensively worldwide and in remote areas, working in many community, film and art projects. Giulia is native of Rome, Italy and is also a permanent resident of the United States of America. She is fluent in English, Italian, and Spanish and has a working knowledge of French.

 Philip Courter has primary directorial, camera, and editorial credit on over 200 films and videos on a wide range of subject matter. Phil is especially experienced in working with human-interest subjects, and has directed many programs on environmental, hunger, and family and children's issues and led social action media campaigns.  He is the author of The Filmmaker’s Craft, a seminal text on film making and has taught at the college level.  He is also a craftsman and inventor of many cost and labor-saving camera and editing tools used on location and in his studio including a 3D camera, stabilizing devices, and editing equipment.

  Gay Courter has been producing educational and documentary films for more than 40 years. She is the author of five bestselling novels including The Midwife with over three million copies in print. She also has written three non – fiction books, including I Speak For This Child: True Stories of a Child Advocate, which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.   www.gaycourter.com

Courter Films & Associates believes in using the power of media to motivate positive change in the world. We have produced media for numerous groups and foundations including the FAO, ONE Campaign, Pew Charitable Trust, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, the Mathile Institute for the Advancement of Human Nutrition, the American Humane Association, the North American Council on Adoption, UCLA, YMCA, Kinship Center, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges as well as corporations and individuals. We specialize in media about social welfare issues, strengthening families, the environment, and agriculture.  www.courterfilms.com