World's most dangerous famine history. How was the environment of those country who are affected fro famine.

1. FAMINE

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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.

13.  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

14. 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.