A famine is a catastrophic disruption of the social, economic, and institutional systems that provide for food production, distribution, and consumption. Famines have long been considered anomalies crises that must be remedied by short-term relief activities so that the normal processes of development can be resumed. We now know differently.
Famines destroy life today, as well as the hope of development.
While acute famines may appear to be similar across continents, their causes, their victims, and the policies needed to respond effectively to famines differ immensely. The book, recently published by Johns Hopkins University Press, presents analyses from detailed studies of country policies as they affect markets, communities, and households in the context of famine. The analysis in Famine in Africa is based on three main premises. First, famine is largely a function of the failure of institutions, organizations, and policies, not just the failure of markets and production. Central, local, and community governments play key roles in causing famine as well as preventing it, and the absence of effective systems of government can be both a cause and a consequence of famine.