FAMINE

What is Famine?

Food is one of the most important assets in life, you need it to survive.

Caused by the shortage of inability of people to obtain food. Usually caused by

low food production resulting from drought, other factors, or it could be a

result of the inability of a country or its population to afford to buy food.

The cause of Famine

– Scarcity- mainly farmers, no irrigation, crop failure

– Drought, flood

– Natural disasters

– Ban natural resources

– Population Imbalance

– Political Conspiracy &

– Government Policies

Diseases related to famine

Cholera: Cholera is transmitted through contaminated water or food and can rapidly lead to severe

dehydration and death if left untreated.

Acute malnutrition: Acute malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies can be widespread among

refugees and displaced people.

Measles: Outbreaks can result in epidemics that cause many deaths, especially among malnourished

children.

Pneumonia: Children whose immune systems have been weakened by undernutrition are at higher risk

of developing pneumonia.

Malaria: Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through

the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes.

Diarrhoeal disease: Diarrhoea can last several days, and can leave the body without the water and salts

that are necessary for survival.

Somalia Famine (1991-1992) (2010-2012)

Events that occurred in Somalia in early

1990’s left the country on record as one

of the places for most gruesome

famines in Africa. In addition to a death

toll of around 300,000, up to 2 million

more Somalians were displaced from

their homes as a result of this massive

famine. Since 1991, when the dictator

Mohammed Siad Barre was the leader,

Somalia had been in a state of political

unrest and civil war and when citizens were hit by hunger crisis, they were left without a government

and depended upon outside nations to come to their aid. Eventually, the American government

responded by sending in aid and relief shipments.

This is one of the most devastating

famines that has ever occurred in

Africa, approximately 260,000 people

died during the Somalia Famine from

2010-2012. Already desolated by a

famine only a decade earlier, almost

5% of Somalia’s population died from

famine conditions with over half of the

casualties being children under the age

of 6. Although signs of the drought

were known from 2010, outside

nations waited until the famine reached its crisis to intervene. In July of 2011 the United Nations

officially declared famine in Somalia.

An estimated 4.6 percent of the total population and 10 percent of children under five died in southern

and central Somalia,” the report said, saying the deaths were on top of 290,000 “baseline” deaths during

the period, and double the average for sub-Saharan Africa and according to the United Nations, more

than one million Somalis were refugees in surrounding nations, another million displaced inside the

country, and around 2.7 million people needed life-saving assistance.

Sudan Famine (1998)

In 1998, Sudan underwent a catastrophic

famine caused by drought and a lack of

expedient action; the fragile infrastructure

caused by civil conflicts between southern

rebels and the government slowed down aid

and made the famine even more severe. A

combination of civil war and an already

present drought led to famine conditions

resulting in the deaths of over 70,000

Sudanese. Again, warning signals of the

upcoming disaster were ignored in what is

now referred to as a “humanitarian disaster.” Although relief organizations were prompted to send in

additional help, aid planes were intermittently either postponed from going into the war-torn country,

or thwarted by the Sudanese government.

Ethiopian Famine (1950 – 1973) (1983-1985)

The drought, which began during

the 1950s, reached its climax

between 1972–1973, leaving over

60,000 Ethiopians dead from

famine. Crops died in the extreme

dry conditions leaving citizens

without any source of food.

Although relief was made

available, the Ethiopian

government was in denial of the

famine and repeatedly refused any

outside assistance.

Ethiopia has been structurally food deficient since at least 1980. The food gap rose from 0.75 million

tons in 1979/80 to 5 million tons in 1993/94, falling to 2.6 million tons in 1995/96 despite a record

harvest (Befekadu and Berhanu 2000:176). Even in that year, 240,000 tons of food aid was delivered,

suggesting that chronic food insecurity afflicts millions of Ethiopians in the absence of transitory

production shocks. (Devereux)

Unprepared for the dry season that they would face, from 1984-1985, Ethiopia found itself facing a

nationwide famine. According to the UN, over 1 million people died during this famine. Although many

nations sent money and food aid to Ethiopia, many of the supplies were not actually used by the

government; food was left to rot and funds were used to purchase weapons and artillery supplies.

Uganda Famine (1980-1983)

Between 1980 and 1983, a quarter

of a million people in

northwestern Uganda were

threatened with famine because

strife and drought had cut their

harvest by two-thirds and from

1980–1981, 30,000 Ugandans died

from famine. Uganda would face

another famine just several years

later.

Sahel Famine (1968-1972)

Sahel is not necessarily a

country but a region known for

its perennial droughts, between

1968-1972, the Sahel region

faced one of its most

devastating famines yet, killing

over a million people in total.

Since 1973, a special sector has

been created within the United

Nations called the The United

Nations Sahelian Office which is

specifically dedicated towards

helping the Sahel region.

In 2010, a massive drought-induced famine struck Africa’s Sahel region and many parts of the

neighboring Sénégal River Area between February and August 2010 and it would be one of many

famines to have hit the region in recent times and there is still speculations that there is a looming

starvation as early indicators suggest that a widespread food crisis is coming to Africa’s Sahel region,

while some aid organizations say it has already arrived in the most vulnerable areas.

Nigeria Famine (1967-1970)

From 1967-1970, Nigeria faced a

famine brought on by a blockade of

a territory that was fighting to

secede known as Biafra by the

Nigerian government. By using this

blockade, the Nigerian government

was able to prevent Nigerian

citizens from accessing and food

aid. Reluctant to take any aid from

outside nations which supported

the Nigerian government, most

attempts to send in relief were

turned away. As a result, over one million people starved to death.

Tigray, Ethiopia Famine (1958)

In 1958, a famine in Tigray led to a death toll of

approximately 100,000. Often considered one

of the most impoverished areas in the world,

little government aid was offered.

Unfortunately, most of the relief that was sent

in did not actually make it to the Tigray citizens.

Rwanda/Burundi Famine (1943-1944) (2012)

From 1943-1944, both Rwanda and

Burundi faced drought conditions

causing crops to die leading to a major

famine with 300,000 either died or

displaced. In 2012, there was another

threat of hunger which affected

Burundi and about 800 families with

about 4,000 people from Busoni were

reported to had fled their homes and

about 100,000 affected by severe

hunger in Kirundo, which lies some 230

kilometres (143 miles) north-east of

the capital Bujumbura.

Irish Potato Famine (1845-1849)

1845-1849 potato blight. 1 million people died of starvation. 1.5

million people emigrated. Ireland was a colony of England. Ireland

was a net exporter of wheat and beef. Europe also had blight but

starvation only in Ireland.

The proximate cause of famine was potato blight, which ravaged

potato crops throughout Europe during the 1840s. However, the

impact in Ireland was disproportionate, as one third of the

population was dependent on the potato for a range of ethnic,

religious, political, social, and economic reasons, such as land

acquisition, absentee landlords, and the Corn Laws, which all

contributed to the disaster to varying degrees and remain the

subject of intense historical debate.

The famine was a watershed in the history of Ireland, which was

then part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. The

famine and its effects permanently changed the island's

demographic, political, and cultural landscape. For both the native Irish and those in the resulting

diaspora, the famine entered folk memory and became a rallying point for Irish nationalist movements.

The already strained relations between many Irish and the British Crown soured further, heightening

ethnic and sectarian tensions, and boosting Irish nationalism and republicanism in Ireland and among

Irish emigrants in the United States and elsewhere.

Ukraine Famine (1930-1933)

The Ukrainian Famine of 1932-1933, popularly known as

the Holodomar (“murder by hunger”), defies traditional

conceptions of the causes of famine, not least because

scholars still do not agree on its causes. The majority of

recent scholarship, led by Robert Conquest as well as Dana

Dalrymple and others, has argued that the Ukraine Famine

was a man-made catastrophe, caused by Stalin’s

deliberately harsh procurement policy. This policy was

designed to put down the Ukrainian peasantry, perceived

by Communist party officials as a threat to their regime because of Ukrainian nationalism and national

culture.

Great Leap Forward Famine (1959-1961)

The Three Years of Great Chinese Famine,

referred to by the Communist Party of China as

the Three Years of Natural Disasters, the Three

Years of Difficulty or Great Leap Forward

Famine, was a period in the People's Republic

of China between the years 1959 and 1961

characterized by widespread famine. Drought,

poor weather, and the policies of ruler Mao

Zedong contributed to the famine although the

relative weights of the contributions are

disputed due to the Great Leap Forward.

According to government statistics, there were 15 million excess deaths in this period. However, the

Chinese government at this time was taken over by market reformers who were strongly opposed to the

Great Leap Forward. Unofficial estimates vary, but scholars have estimated the number of famine

victims to be between 20 and 43 million. Historian Frank Dikötter, having been granted special access to

Chinese archival materials, estimates that there were at least 45 million premature deaths from 1958 to

1962, although far from all these deaths came about as a result of starvation.

Chinese journalist Yang Jisheng concluded there were 36 million deaths due to starvation, while another

40 million others failed to be born, so that "China's total population loss during the Great Famine then

comes to 76 million. However, some scholars argue that the 40 million people who "failed to be born"

should not actually be counted, since they never actually existed in the first place, except as pure

statistical speculation on paper. The term "Three Bitter Years" is often used by Chinese peasants to refer

to this period.

North Korean Famine (1994-1998)

The North Korean famine (Hangul), which together

with the accompanying general economic crisis are

known as the Arduous March (Chosŏn'gŭl) in North

Korea, occurred in North Korea from 1994 to 1998.

The famine stemmed from a variety of factors.

Economic mismanagement and the loss of Soviet

support caused food production and imports to

decline rapidly. A series of floods and droughts

exacerbated the crisis. The North Korean

government and its centrally planned system

proved too inflexible to effectively curtail the

disaster. Estimates of the death toll vary widely. Out of a total population of approximately 22 million,

somewhere between 240,000 and 3,500,000 North Koreans died from starvation or hunger-related

illnesses, with the deaths peaking in 1997. A 2011 U.S. Census Bureau report put the likely number of

excess deaths during 1993 to 2000 at from 500,000 to 600,000.

In 1997, Seo Gwan Hee, the North Korean Minister of Agriculture, was accused of spying for the United

States government and sabotaging North Korean agriculture on purpose, thus leading to the famine. As

a result, he was executed by firing squad publicly by the North Korean government.

Bengal Famine (1943-1944)

The Bengal famine of 1943 (Bengali:

Pañcāśēra manbantara) was a major

famine in the Bengal province in British

India during World War II. An estimated

2.1 million people died in the famine, the

deaths occurring first from starvation and

then from diseases, which included

cholera, malaria, smallpox, dysentery, and

kala-azar. Other factors, such as

malnutrition, population displacement,

unsanitary conditions, and lack of health

care, further increased disease fatalities.

Millions were impoverished as the crisis

overwhelmed large segments of the economy and social fabric, accelerating a trend toward economic

inequality.

Bengal's economy was predominantly agrarian. For at least a decade before the crisis, between half and

three quarters of those dependent on agriculture were already at near subsistence level. Underlying

causes of the famine included inefficient agricultural practices, population and de-peasantisation

through usury and land grabbing. Proximate causes comprise localised natural disasters (a cyclone,

storm surges and flooding, and rice crop disease) and at least five consequences of war: initial, general

war-time inflation of both demand-pull and monetary origin; loss of rice imports due to the Japanese

occupation of Burma (modern Myanmar); near-total disruption of Bengal's market supplies and

transport systems by the preemptive, defensive scorched earth tactics of the Raj (the "denial policies"

for rice and boats); and later, massive inflation brought on by repeated policy failures, war profiteering,

speculation, and perhaps hoarding. Finally, the government prioritised military and defense needs over

those of the rural poor, allocating medical care and food immensely in the favour of the military,

labourers in military industries, and civil servants. All of these factors were further compounded by

restricted access to grain: domestic sources were constrained by emergency inter-provincial trade

barriers, while access to international sources was largely denied by the War Cabinet of Great Britain.

The relative impact of each of these contributing factors to the death toll and economic devastation is

still a matter of controversy. Different analyses frame the famine against natural, economic, or political

causes.

The government was slow to supply humanitarian aid, at first using propaganda to discourage hoarding.

It attempted to drive rice paddy prices down through price controls and a series of procurement

schemes. Price controls merely created a thriving black market and encouraged cautious sellers to

withhold their stocks; moreover, prices soared when the controls were abandoned. Relief efforts in the

form of gruel kitchens, agricultural loans and test works were both insufficient and ineffective through

the worst months of the food crisis phase. Despite having a long-established and detailed Famine Code

that would have triggered a sizable increase in aid, the provincial government never formally declared a

state of famine. Relief efforts increased significantly when the military took control of crisis relief in

October 1943, and more effective aid arrived after a record rice harvest that December. Deaths from

starvation began to decline, but "very substantially more than half" of the famine-related fatalities were

caused by disease in 1944, after the food security crisis had subsided.

Bangladesh Famine (1973-1974)

After independence in 1971,

Bangladesh's economy faced a crisis.

According to Time Magazine USA, 17

January 1972.

In the aftermath of the Pakistani

army's rampage last March, a special

team of inspectors from the World

Bank observed that some cities

looked "like the morning after a

nuclear attack." Since then, the

destruction has only been magnified.

An estimated 6,000,000 homes have

been destroyed, and nearly

1,400,000 farm families have been left without tools or animals to work their lands. Transportation and

communications systems are totally disrupted. Roads are damaged, bridges out and inland waterways

blocked. The rape of the country continued right up until the Pakistani army surrendered a month ago.

In the last days of the war, West Pakistani-owned businesses—which included nearly every commercial

enterprise in the country—remitted virtually all their funds to the West. Pakistan International Airlines

left exactly 117 rupees ($16) in its account at the port city of Chittagong. The army also destroyed bank

notes and coins, so that many areas now suffer from a severe shortage of ready cash. Private cars were

picked up off the streets or confiscated from auto dealers and shipped to the West before the ports

were closed.

— Staff editors, BANGLADESH: Mujib's Road from Prison to Power, Time Magazine USA. Jan. 17, 1972.

Warnings of famine began in March 1974 when the price of rice rose sharply. In this month "widespread

starvation started in Rangpur district", the region which would become one of three most afflicted. It

had only been two years and three months since the end of the war for Bangladeshi independence

(December 1971) and the country's formal creation. In many ways, Bangladesh's new state and

devastated infrastructure and markets were wholly unprepared to deal with the situation. Corruption

among the newly appointed officials was rampant and widespread. In April, though government officials

reiterated that the crisis would be temporary, rice prices continued to rise sharply and reports of

starvation became more widespread. From April to July, Bangladesh was hit by heavy rainfall and a

series of devastating floods along the Brahmaputra River, with notably destructive incidents in May,

July; the ability of the rice crops to survive this was reduced by the growing monoculture of HYV rice. In

addition, neighbouring India declined to co-operate with the government of Bangladesh. Rice crops

were devastated and prices rocketed. In October rice prices peaked and conditions eased by November

1974 as foreign aid and the winter crop arrived. The famine was officially over by December, though

"excess" mortality (e.g. by disease) continued well into the following year, as is the case with most

famines. More people suffered in the rural areas due to starvation. Generally, regional famine intensity

was correlated to flood exposure and no doubt the floods exacerbated the famine. However, though

warnings of famine began long before the flood (as demonstrated above), it is to the floods which the

famine is popularly blamed.

How can we prevent the next famine?

When it comes to natural disasters, and their very un-natural impact on poor people, prevention is

better than cure.

Water resource management. In Ethiopia, some communities that received emergency aid in previous

droughts no longer require it thanks to DRR. A small-scale irrigation project in Liban district of Guji zone

pumped water from a major river to enable pastoralist households to produce grain both for their own

consumption and to sell on local markets. Women report that they no longer worry about milk and food

shortages for their children and family. In contrast to last year and neighbours outside the scheme, the

community no longer needs food aid and livestock have not migrated, because there is enough crop

residue for them to eat.

Work programmes. Where cash or food-for-work programmes are being implemented, the public works

should boost DRR, by focussing on vital communal assets such as improving rangelands or water

harvesting.

Food availability. Where markets are working, providing support to traders to bring in essential food

and strengthen delivery networks is an essential complementary activity to distributing cash in exchange

for work. Part of Oxfam’s work in the current crisis has been to persuade traders to return to the worst

hit areas to get markets functioning again.

Herd mobility. Emergency responses should support mobility where possible, for example, by providing

mobile services such as healthcare or drinking water provision, thereby promoting the sustainability of

pastoralist livelihoods. A conflict-sensitive approach may also be required to ensure responses reach all

vulnerable sections of the community and are negotiated with traditional leaders and across clans.

Veterinary services. Vaccination and other animal health interventions are important to prevent death

and disease in the herd and strengthen livestock resistance to drought. Humanitarian response should

use and strengthen private sector actors in developing long-term, sustainable veterinary services.

Supporting existing community structures. Emergency interventions should work with and strengthen

local organisations and community leaders, who are best placed to identify the most vulnerable and

deliver aid where it is needed.

Preparation for predicted floods. Rains are expected from this month and with them come a significant

risk of flash floods and disease. It is vital to undertake contingency planning for public health and

veterinary services alongside the pre-positioning of essential supplies to prevent outbreaks of water-

borne disease amongst people and vector-borne diseases in animals.

Famine relief

Famine relief is an organized effort to reduce starvation in a region in which there is famine. A famine is

a phenomenon in which a large proportion of the population of a region or country are so

undernourished that death by starvation becomes increasingly common. In spite of the much greater

technological and economic resources of the modern world, famine still strikes many parts of the world,

mostly in the developing nations.

Famine is associated with naturally occurring crop failure and pestilence and artificially with war and

genocide. In the past few decades, a more nuanced view focused on the economic and political

circumstances leading to modern famine has emerged. Modern relief agencies categorize various

gradations of famine according to a famine scale.

Many areas that suffered famines in the past have protected themselves through technological and

social development. The first area in Europe to eliminate famine was the Netherlands, which saw its last

peacetime famines in the early-17th century as it became a major economic power and established a

complex political organization. A prominent economist on the subject, Nobel laureate Amartya Sen, has

noted that no functioning democracy has ever suffered a famine, although he admits that malnutrition

can occur in a democracy and he does not consider mid 19th century Ireland to be a functioning

democracy.

The bulk of the world's food aid is given to people in areas where poverty is endemic; or to people who

have suffered due to a natural disaster other than famine (such as the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean

Tsunami), or have lost their crops due to conflicts (such as in the Darfur region of Sudan). Only a small

amount of food aid goes to people who are suffering as a direct consequence of famine.

Temporary therapeutic foods

Malnutrition is a medical condition, not just a lack of food. The bodies of severely malnourished

humans, especially children, are unable to process regular food. Instead of being fed food such as rice or

porridge, patients are fed therapeutic food for up to one month, or until their bodies are able to process

traditional foods. There are two main types of therapeutic foods in use: Powdered formulas (F-75, F-

100, BP-100) to be prepared with clean water and to be used only under supervision; and ready-to-eat

peanut paste formulations (Plumpy'nut, Plumpy'doz, eeZeePaste RUTF) which can be used at home

without supervision.

F-75 (phase 1 therapeutic milk): a milk based powder to be prepared with clean water, that is

given to severely malnourished children when they first arrive for treatment. It is normally given

for one to three days, in cases of kwashiorkor it can be given for a maximum of seven days. It is

not intended to cause the child to gain weight, but only to condition the body to digest food.

F-100 (phase 2 therapeutic milk): a milk based powder to be prepared with clean water. It

contains more protein and calories than F-75, and is designed for rapid weight gain, and to

prepare the body for digestion of normal food. It has been criticized as ineffective[7] compared

to ready-to-use therapeutic peanut paste based foods.

BP-100 (phase 2 therapeutic food): a wheat based powder to be used in a similar manner to F-

100.

Plumpy'nut, Plumpy'doz, eeZeePaste RUTF: various ready-to-eat mixtures of peanut paste, milk

powder, sugar, fats, minerals and vitamins, to be used as an alternative to F-100. The products

come in ready-to-eat packets that require no water or mixing. They put parents or guardians in

charge of feeding their own malnourished children in their own communities, rather than

forcing them to always bring their malnourished children to hospitals or therapeutic feeding

centers for assistance. The Wall Street Journal noted: "Nutritionists for the first time can take

treatment beyond crowded emergency feeding centers and hospitals settings, where disease

can spread rapidly, and into communities where malnourished children live.

After the malnourished children recover enough to be able to digest complex foods, products containing

higher levels of protein can be used to increase muscle growth. Plant protein foods such as textured

vegetable protein have been advocated. Besides containing high amounts of protein, they also have a

long shelf life and are inexpensive. Also, similar to tofu, plant protein can be manufactured in a more

sustainable way than animal protein. This is an important question in areas such as Darfur, where cattle

farming contributes to constant destruction of arable farmland.

International’s response to the hunger and famine:

Distributes assorted food commodities comprising cereals, pulses and vegetable oil in

partnership with World Food Programme (WFP)

Provides treatment and surveillance for malnutrition among children and pregnant and lactating

women

Provides psychosocial support for children

Provides trainings for farmers to improve productivity

Provides water and sanitation facilities

Some organizations who are fighting for famine:

United Nations World Food Programme

World Food Programme (WFP) is the leading global organization fighting hunger and organizing logistics

in humanitarian emergencies. Many organizations working on the ground in hunger emergencies

actually work for WFP. They deliver food assistance and work with communities to improve nutrition.

Already in 2017, World Food Programme has provided food distributions and digital cash cards to nearly

a million people in Somalia, and is in the process of raising $1.5 billion to combat food insecurity in

Nigeria.

On April 12, WFP announced its plans for emergency operations in Yemen: To provide food assistance to

nearly seven million people classified as severely food insecure; secure nutrition support to prevent or

treat malnutrition among 2.2 million children; and assist breastfeeding and pregnant mothers with

specialized nutritious foods. You can click here to see and share their appeal for food access, and here to

read their joint statement with the United Nations Childrens’ Fund (UNICEF) and the United Nations

Food and Agriculture Organization on famine in South Sudan.

UNICEF

UNICEF operates across 190 countries and territories, advocating specifically with and for children

through fundraising, advocacy, and education. UNICEF has outlined a three-pronged approach

responding to the food crises in Africa: to aid 13.1 million children suffering from famine conditions in

these four countries, to treat 1 million children under the age of 5 for serious acute malnutrition, and to

raise $712 million in 2017 to fund these projects. UNICEF has been a leader in bringing direct and

innovative solutions to food crises in the region, like their ready-to-use therapeutic food initiative in

South Sudan.

Mercy Corps

Mercy Corps is an organization that aims to “alleviate suffering, poverty, and oppression by helping

people build secure, productive and just communities.” Their mission is to increase accountability and

participation within their partner countries by providing not only aid and supplies but on-the-ground

assistance as well. They’re all about working from within to create change! Right now, Mercy Corps has

members on the ground in Africa to help families get the food, water, and supplies they need in order to

survive.

Action Against Hunger

Action Against Hunger is a global humanitarian organization that targets both the causes and effects of

hunger. Their primary target areas are Nutrition & Health, Water & Sanitation, and Food Security &

Livelihoods. They also have an Emergency Response branch, which evaluates crises in order to best

serve the affected communities. Currently, they have a program focused specifically on the impending

famine in Somalia, as well as a broader campaign targeting famine in South Sudan, Yemen, and Nigeria.

CARE

CARE works across multiple platforms around the world to defeat poverty and empower communities.

They have projects in 94 countries and reach over 80 million people through their work! This past

March, CARE denounced the proposed budget cuts to foreign aid, as it would directly affect more than

20 million people already facing famine conditions in Africa. Find out more about their message and

their efforts to end global hunger here.

Oxfam

For more than 70 years, Oxfam has been working to end poverty by tackling issues that keep people

poor: inequality, discrimination, and unequal access to resources. They work with local and national

organizations to help communities facilitate the change they want to see. Oxfam is launching a huge

effort to reach people facing hunger crises in Ethiopia, Yemen, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Kenya

through food vouchers, direct access to clean water, and sanitation services. Oxfam has opportunities

for you to take action through letters, volunteering, hosting an event, responding to emergencies.

Oxfam is working to end hunger and famine.