In 1984-85, the Silte people of Dalocha, South West Ethiopia, experienced famine for the first time. Nine years later in 1993, they still had not regained a level of productive capacity akin to pre-famine days. Using data spanning ten years, University of Oxford research shows that rebuilding investments in livestock and farming equipment cannot be taken for granted. Examining the changes in livestock holdings, land distribution, migration, and household organisation during and after the famine, the study suggests ways in which policy changes might help people rebuild capital.
Little research focuses on the long term processes of recovery from famine.
It is widely accepted, however, that famine has far-reaching consequences that are hard to deal with. Causes of famine have been analysed in detail within wider economic, political, and environmental frameworks. This study examines the extent to which the long term effects of famine interact just as crucially within this wider context. Farmers developed a new strategy of cattle adoption to cope with this. After the famine, women started small-scale trading activities.