Famine



Famine refers to extreme scarcity of food (Dirks, 2011). The scarcity is usually accompanied by starvation, malnutrition and even death. Famine is normally caused by a combination of a number of reasons. The reasons range from technological failure to Poverty. The problem is mostly experienced in third world countries including some sections of Asia and Africa that are severely affected. However, even developed continents such as America and Europe have experienced famine in the history of the world.

**Causes of Famine **

 Famine is usually caused by a number of factors that lead to low crop yields that cannot feed a population. One of the causes is natural disasters such as plant diseases and floods that usually affect agriculture. Plants are adversely affected leading to little yields or no yields at all. Natural disasters such as drought also lead to crop failure because of lack of enough water for crops (Robson, 1981). Another cause of famine is technological failure. The kind of technology that people use in farms usually affects their yield. Most countries, especially those in the third world countries lag behind in terms of technology. As a result, the farming methods that they use are destructive. Their technological innovation is also low such that they use crude methods in farming.

The storage means used by farmers mostly in third world countries are usually unreliable since the level technological advancement is low. Most of the farmers cannot afford modern storage facilities such as refrigerators. They opt for traditional methods of food preservation that include salting, smoking or sun drying. Such primitive methods of storage do not preserve food for long. As a result, the countries cannot store enough food to be used when crop yields are low (Curtis, Hubbard, & Shepherd, 2013). Political reasons are also a cause of famine since countries that usually experience political unrest and wars are usually affected by famine. The citizens of such countries are never at peace to be able to engage in farming. Most of them run away from their homes because of insecurity reasons. Some of the countries that have been affected by political unrest in the recent past include Egypt, Libya, Tunisia and Somalia.

However, occurrence of famine cannot be attributed to only one reason. Famine is usually as a result of a combination of several factors. Some of the reasons include inadequate food production, inability to access food, as well as poor governments’ response to situations that require intervention (Sen, 1982) . **Remedies of Famine **

 The most immediate solution to famine is food donation. Countries that have surplus food can donate part of it to people who are experiencing famine in other nations. For instance, the United Nations World Food Program helps in fighting famine by distributing food to affected countries all over the world (Cuny & Hill, 1999). Other long term solutions include training of farmers on effective methods of farming. Farmers should also be taught how to predict weather conditions so that they can plant appropriate crops. They can also be educated on the most suitable methods of farming, as well as good techniques of storing their harvest. Governments can as well provide aid to farmers through subsidizing farm equipment and inputs. Farmers also need to be advised to plant drought resistant crops such as yams and cassava in areas that have persistent shortages of rainfall. **References **

Cuny, F. C., & Hill, R. B. (1999). //Famine, Conflict, and Response: A Basic Guide.// West Hartford: Kumarian Press Inc. Curtis, D., Hubbard, M., & Shepherd, A. (2013). //Preventing Famine: Policies and prospects for Africa.// London: Routledge. Dirks, R. (2011). //Hunger and Famine//. Retrieved Nov. 12, 2013, from Academia.edu: [] Robson, J. R. (1981). //Famine, Its Causes, Effects, and Management.// New York: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers. Sen, A. (1982). //Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation.// Oxford: Oxford University Press.