Monty backs rural African charity

Monty lives on a farm in Herefordshire

Gardener Monty Don has become a patron of a Shropshire-based charity which supports rural communities in Africa.

Harvest Help works with local non-governmental organisations to offer help to more than 20,000 families in Zambia, Malawi, Ghana and Togo.

Monty, who currently presents the BBC's Gardener's World, said he is supporting the charity because it promotes sustainable farming.

He said he believes it is the only hope for long-term relief from hunger.

He said: "I have chosen to be a patron of Harvest Help because I believe the only hope for long-term relief from hunger and poverty is to provide people with the resources to grow their own food and feed their families on their own terms. This is exactly what Harvest Help are doing."

Monty lives with his family on a two-acre garden in Herefordshire.