In the Amazon region of Brazil, yams are an important part of people’s diet but they are becoming harder to grow under the increasingly fierce sun.

“We need yams for porridge for breakfast but we don’t have enough,” says maria Ferreira.

“Before, we planted yams in the shade or sun and they all grew well.When the sun is so hot it’s not good for the earth. Before, the grass was always green. The football pitch is now yellow. it’s so dry.”

Falling harvests are an indication of how climate change will threaten livelihoods. As temperatures rise, maria and others in her village leave earlier for work in the fields. Sometimes they have to stop working by ten in the morning because it is too hot.

As food and water become scarcer, Caritas is helping indigenous communities map their resources and campaign to raise awareness about the harmful effects of climate change.

Caritas Brazil meanwhile has been giving emergency help in the north of Brazil where towns and villages have been flooded out. The national Caritas is also giving education and support to help villages cope with water shortages in the semi-arid parts of the country.

Water, either too much or too little, is causing massive disruption to people’s lives in Brazil.