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Introduction
The extensive scarcity of food is known as famine, which causes a high extent of mass starvation in the region. The prevalence of famine has been observed in every continent of the world, however, some countries like Sub-Sahara Africa still encounter with the drastic effects of famine (Baro and Deubel 522). The current paper enlightens the causes and effects of famine and presents the preventive measures to reduce the prevalence of famine.
Causes
The scarcity of food is observed to be caused by the ineffective distribution of food or imbalance in the demand and supply of food. The central idea that incorporates the basic cause of famine is the shortage of food, however, this notion is also observed to be highly effected by the extreme climatic conditions and political uncertainties. It has been inferred that the global climatic change continues to challenge the ability of the Earth to produce the optimum yield of crops, which eventually indicates the threat of famine (Plumper 52).
The prevalence of poverty and population growth is also considered as a major cause of famine because in this instance, the buying power of the individuals reduces which refrains them to address the nutritional demands. Similarly, extensive increase in population can develop a gap in the country’s local production of food and its demand, which results in the increased price of food. Moreover, the import of food items in order to meet the food demand in the country is incorporated, however, the cost related to the imports of material also contributes in the increasing the overall price of food. In this manner, the high price of food effects the buying power of individuals in the country and leads towards the massive starvation (Baro and Deubel 526).
The change in climatic patterns encompassing the reduce in rainfall causes the occurrence of drought which eventually effects the crop yield. The increasing temperature due to global warming also reduces the prevalence of favorable environment for the crop production. It is inferred that the global warming by 3.6º F can wilt the crops in the tropical regions, however, the crop yield in the coastal regions is highly effected by the floods (Verdin 2157). The increase in temperature and precipitation rate also increases the occurrence of storms whereas, the drying of fresh water resources also wilts the crop yield (Painter et al. 347).
The political causes to the occurrence of famine are also observed in the history where the citizens encountered with the drastic shortage of food due to the ineffective and inefficient government policies. The government pressure on collecting the crop yields by forces resulted in the mass starvation among farmers in Ukraine, whereas China’s focus on rapid growth by enhancing its exports also cause massive starvation because the government acquired the control over the production of crops in order to optimize its balance of trade (Kung 51). The monopoly of landlords and excessive exports also effect the balance of food supply and demand in the country and hence, the food becomes inadequately enough and causes massive starvation (Cai 301).
Effects (on economy and society)
The society suffers from the shortage of food which leads towards the malnutrition and in order to meet their need of food consumption, massive immigrations take place to the regions where the scarcity of food can be curbed in an effective manner. The immigrations incorporated on the basis of poor soil and agricultural yield results in the migration towards the fertile regions that can ensure the certain climate and crop yield. Similarly, the political and economic uncertainties make the immigrants to move towards the regions that are stable in their political and economic aspects. Similarly, massive immigrations cause the economic challenges to the regions and countries where the immigrants settle and the responsibility of these regions to provide aid and relief increases (Plumper et al 54).
The peasants who fail to gain the adequate crop yield consider employment in other sectors of economy which increases the labor supply and due to the threat of starvation, wages reduce because more people agree to work for deteriorated wages. The high price of food and starvation effects the law and order of the country and hence, riots and theft takes place at a high level. It threatens the wellbeing of the society and reduces the country’s ability to address the issue due to the lack of resources and internal social uncertainties (Cai et al 307).
The economic effects of famine incorporate the reduced ability of the country to focus on providing relief to the regions where the scarcity prevails because shortage of food also raises the healthcare issues. It increases the mortality and morbidity rate due to massive starvation and lack of immunity of individuals due to shortage of food. It is inferred that famine caused by flood increases the mortality rate among the infants and causes dysentery and cholera among the adults due to malnutrition. In this manner, the local and international governing bodies have to focus on providing healthcare and financial aid in order to provide relief to the effected regions. The prevalence of famine also hinders the livestock due to lack of adequate food supplies to meet the nutritious need of livestock (Baro 531).
Preventive Measures
The preventive measures to hinder the occurrence of famine in the at-risk regions are discussed below:
The modern agricultural techniques are required to be introduced among the peasants in order to ensure that their crop yields remain consistent. It can be done by increasing the quality of fertilizers, crop seeds and harvesting mechanisms. The effective means of irrigation is also required to ensure that the crops are not dependent on the seasonal rainfall and are provided with the adequate water supply.
The use of inadequate fertilizers should be prohibited and standards should be maintained with respect to the type of soils and their need of fertilizer. It has been inferred that excessive fertilizers hinder the crop yield and effects the quality of soil in a negative manner.
The efficient supply of food should be incorporated in the areas where the occurrence of drought and flood is observed.
The production of fortifying food, which is comprised of canned food with high nutrients, is required so that it can provide adequate nutrition to the individuals starving regions and can reduce the prevalence of high mortality.
The long-term forecasting and planning in determining the demand of food is required and in accordance with the demand forecast of food, the local exports of food items should be restricted if the local demand is not met by the local production. Similarly, the import of food during food scarcity should be provided with the tax subsidies and exemptions in order to ensure its affordability to the local population.
Conclusion
The increasing climatic challenges incorporate adverse effect on crop yield due to which the occurrence of famine can take place. It is required the preventive measures are implied at an international level in order to ensure their standardized implication in the countries that are more prone to food shortages. It will help in reducing the occurrence of famine and will also help in providing relief to the effected regions in an effective manner.
Work Cited
Baro, Mamadou, and Tara F. Deubel. "Persistent hunger: Perspectives on vulnerability, famine, and food security in sub-Saharan Africa." Annu. Rev. Anthropol. 35 (2006): 521-538.
Cai, Yong, and Wang Feng. "Famine, social disruption, and involuntary fetal loss: evidence from Chinese survey data." Demography 42.2 (2005): 301-322.
Kung, James Kai‐sing, and Justin Yifu Lin. "The causes of China’s great leap famine, 1959–1961." Economic Development and Cultural Change 52.1 (2003): 51-73.
Painter, Rebecca C., Tessa J. Roseboom, and Otto P. Bleker. "Prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine and disease in later life: an overview." Reproductive Toxicology 20.3 (2005): 345-352.
Plumper, Thomas, and Eric Neumayer. "Famine mortality, rational political inactivity, and international food aid." World Development 37.1 (2009): 50-61.
Verdin, James, et al. "Climate science and famine early warning." Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 360.1463 (2005): 2155-2168.
