Famine

Paper Summary:

Sociologists have from time to time attempted to define famine by highlighting one or more aspects of this multi-sided phenomenon. Most definitions usually emphasize only some of the attributes of famine, such as scarcity of food, or persistent starvation, while others tend to concentrate on the social, political or economic reasons that have led to widespread famine in particular regions at a given time. The paper argues that definitions which attempt to describe famine as "severe shortage of food" or "food shortage leading to widespread death from starvation" or "regional failure of food production and/or distribution" overlook the fact that famine may be chronic undernourishment leading to malnutrition that is sometimes exacerbated by a particularly poor crop yield or by other social conditions or political reasons that render foodstuffs inaccessible to a portion of a country's population. The paper shows, furthermore, that these definitions totally ignore the fact that famine may even occur within a region which has a sufficient food supply that is unevenly distributed, or a particular region where international aid is regularly sent and misappropriated by a small coterie which is usually appointed by local government.

From the Paper:

"It is also necessary that western aid should intensify not simply in the form of food provision when death decimates the population of countries due to sudden drops in the availability of food, but also by providing the technical knowledge and frameworks for the building of factories that will produce a steady tonnage of nitrogen fertilizers that will increase the local crop yields. Distribution and accessibility of staple foodstuffs is at present inadequate and in some cases steadily in decline."

More papers on Famine:

• Persuasive Essay # 134432 : "Stalin and the Ukrainian Famine"
• Research Paper # 88609 : "China's 1959-1962 Famine "
• Essay # 84581 : "Overpopulation and Famine"
• Term Paper # 132125 : "Famine and China's "Great Leap Forward"

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