Famine is a significant problem for many developing countries despite a global food surplus. Famine results from a shortage or inability to obtain food, often due to drought causing low food production. It occurs mainly in rural areas where farming and livestock are the primary means of livelihood. Nearly 30 million Africans could face famine in the coming months, with the horn of Africa, southern Africa, and the Sahel region of West Africa most at risk. Causes of famine in Africa include drought, lack of self-sufficiency requiring imports, armed conflict, environmental degradation, and climate change.

1. FAMINE IN THE
DEVELOPING WORLD
Jessica M. Paule

2. Famine…
• Despite a global food surplus, almost half of the world’s less
developed countries suffer significant problems concerning
food.
• Causes of famine:
– Shortage or inability of people to obtain food
– Low food production resulting from drought
• Where?
– In rural areas
– Where farming and livestock rearing are the main means of livelihood

3. Famine…
• Expected results:
– Continuing tight and volatile market conditions
– Growing threat of starvation in poor developing countries
– No increase of free food from the West

4. Famine…
• 1970-1990
Half of the worlds developing countries had a decline in food supply.
A quarter had increase in child hunger.
• Mid 1990s
840 million did not have enough goods to meet basic nutritional needs
• 200 million suffer from sever malnutrition
• Malnutrition is a major barrier to economic and
social development.

5. Famine in Africa
• Nearly 30 million Africans could be facing famine within
months.
• The number at risk:
– 15 million in the Horn of Africa
– Over 14 million in southern Africa
– Hundreds of thousands in the Sahel region of West Africa.
• Malnutrition is widespread across Africa, even in famine-free
years where food production or imports appear to meet a
country’s needs.
• 40-50% of the population of sub-Saharan Africa goes hungry

6. Famine in Africa
• Causes:
– Drought
• Ruined harvests and left people and livestock without food and water.
– Not self-sufficient and rely on imports
– Armed conflict, corruption, and the mismanagement of food supplies
– Environmental degradation / Climate change
– trade policies that harm African agriculture
– AIDS

7. Famine in Africa
Examples:
• Under present terms of trade, African agriculture exports command
low prices and cannot compete on world markets.
• Diversion of government finances, corruption or mismanagement
have gone alongside conflict or developed from bad governance and
have turned droughts and good shortages into famine.
• Throughout the Sub-Saharan famines (blamed on drought),
exporting continued and the incoming aid went to support export
crops.
• In Ethiopia, during drought from 1982-1985, the government spent
all money on military, government farms fed military.

8. Famine in Africa
• Progress:
– Over the past 30 years, developing countries as a group
have reduced the percentage of undernourished from 37-
18%
– East and South Asia have reduced the figure from 43-13%
– Decline in rainfall over the Sahel due to climate change

9. Solutions?
• Increased food supply
• Economic growth

10. References
Adger, W. Neil. quot;Adaptation to climate change in the developing world.quot;
Progress in Development Studies 3.3 (2003): 179-195.
Jenkins, J Craig . quot;Food security in less developed countries.quot; Pro
Quest 66.5 (2001): 718, 27 pgs. 14 Nov. 2008.
Lewis, Paul. quot; Peril of Third-World Famine Is Seen by U.N. Food
Agency - New York Times.quot; The New York Times - Breaking News,
World News & Multimedia. 27 Mar. 1990. 12 Nov. 2008
<http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CE0DD1531F9
34A15750C0A966958260>.
Sommerville, Keith. quot;Why famine stalks Africa.quot; BBC News. 12 Nov.
2002. 12 Nov. 2008 <new.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2449527.stm>.