R2115981J AND R2112933W DISCUSS THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE FAMINE

IMPACT AND SEVERITY

The impact and severity of Famine is influenced by factors such as climate change, poverty,
bad policies, COVID-19, inequality (gender), over population and conflict.

According to Dan Maxwell and Nisar Majid’s 2016 book “Famine in Somalia” defines
Famine as an extreme crisis of access to adequate food, manifested in widespread
malnutrition and loss of life due to starvation and infectious disease. On the other hand Chris
(2020) says in technical terms famine is a situation where one in households experience an
extreme lack of food and other basic needs where starvation, death, and destitution are
evident.

Oxford Languages Dictionary defines impact as a marked effect or influence.

Ewing (nd) defines severity as the quality of being severe, the condition of being very bad,
serious, unpleasant, or hash.

Tadesse (2022) alludes that, in areas where there is conflict there is severe impact of famine
due to destruction of infrastructure such as irrigation and health care, decimating livelihoods,
undermining food production and driving displacements. The displaced persons would have
nowhere to plant crops nor resources. For example, the conflict in Ukraine has pushed global
prices of food, fertilizer and fuel to record levels. Ukraine and Russia produce a quarter of the
world’s wheat and grain. They have historically provided 90 percent of the wheat imported to
the East Africa region. Another example of conflict impact Somalia is experiencing political
instability and ongoing civil unrest. This conflict, has made Somalia one of the world’s worst
internal displacement crises. Over 100,000 people have left their homes in search of food and
water since the start of 2022. Nearly half of all children under the age of 5 are malnourished—
380,000 of them are at risk of death. In one IRC clinic in Somalia, we have seen a
staggering 265 percent increase in severely malnourished children under the age of 5 over the
course of one month.

Unknown (nd) In South Sudan, where people fled their homes because of violence, few
farmers have been able to harvest a crop. This limits what’s available at community markets
and raises food prices. Also, when rains do come, 60% of the country is inaccessible by
roads, which limits the transportation of food aid as well as goods sent to market.

USAID (2020) Most disasters are caused by water- and climate-related events, such as floods
or droughts. As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather
events, the number of water-related disasters is expected to rise. These weather events cause
disruptions in the availability of food and water and increased conflict among communities
and between humans and wildlife.

Tadesse (2022) Climate change can influence impact and severity of famine in that there can be
severe weather patterns like high temperatures that can cause loss moisture of crops, pests and
diseases, floods. Above average rainfall resulting in widespread flooding can severely impact
on crop production. Harvests can be delayed, crops and pastures can been submerged and
killed, and produce spoilt crops. Plant pests and pathogens interfere with the growth and
cause damage to cultivated and naturally growing plants. The interference and damage result
in the failure of plants to reach their genetic potential. For example Somalia, Kenya and
Ethiopia have faced three droughts in the past decade (2010-2011, 2016-2016 and 2021-2022),
wreaking havoc on crops and livestock and making it harder for people to recover each time.
Today, the region is in the midst of its longest-running drought in 40 years

Bread for the World (nd) Climate change is the greatest environmental challenge the world
has ever faced, and it is damaging food and water security in significant ways, like drought
and flooding. If countries cannot work together to find and implement solutions, ending
hunger in our lifetime will be out of reach. Changing weather patterns and natural disasters
destroy crops, limit what crops can be grown in certain areas, and reduce access to grazing
land for animals. Climate change is also shrinking water supplies.  Since 2010, about 21.5
million people have been displaced by climate-linked disasters each year; experts project that
by 2050 the total number of displaced people could reach 1.2 billion.

Action against hunger (nd) asserts that poverty can influence impact of famine because
without sufficient and sustainable incomes, families cannot afford access to nutritious food,
clean water, or health care. As a result, one in three children in low- and middle-income
countries suffers from chronic undernutrition. Without treatment, hunger can lead to stunted
growth, limited mental and emotional development, and even death.
Bread for the world (nd) Poverty is the greatest cause of hunger around the world – in both
higher-wealth and low- to middle-income countries. Most people who are hungry live in
extreme poverty, defined as income of $2.15 per day or less. More than 650 million people in
developing countries live in extreme poverty, and 1 out of 5 children globally. The largest
group of people in the world in extreme poverty are smallholder farmers in developing
countries. They do not have the land to grow enough food to supply themselves with enough
to eat year-round, and they earn so little income from what they sell that they cannot afford to
purchase food from other sources once their own supply runs out.

Hufstader (2020) Conflict in South Sudan and Yemen has displaced families and cut off food
supplies, as well as people’s access to aid. Conflict and a lengthy, serious drought in Somalia
and other parts of the Horn of Africa has killed off most of the crops and livestock, the main
assets for many families.

Hufstader (2020) The COVID-19 coronavirus has affected all regions of the world. The
movement of food, from farms to markets and people’s homes, is being disrupted, and the
poorest and most vulnerable are at risk. The economic crisis and disruption of the food supply
could push an additional half billion people into poverty, according to estimates by Oxfam
and others.

A deadly combination of conflict, COVID-19, and climate change is increasing the number
of people living in severe hunger. Oxfam estimated over the summer of 2021 that half a
million people are living in famine-like conditions in just four countries (Ethiopia,
Madagascar, South Sudan, and Yemen). In September 2022, the United Nations declared that
"famine is at the door" in the East African country of Somalia.

Hufstader (2020) Poor policy decisions that make people vulnerable. When no one addresses
this vulnerability, it leads to famine. This is why political scientist Alex de Waal calls famine
a political scandal, a “catastrophic breakdown in government capacity or willingness to do
what [is] known to be necessary to prevent famine.” When governments fail to prevent , or
help families prevent food shortages brought on by any reason, they fail their own people.
For example The conflict in Yemen is has been going on for six years now. Aid groups such
as Oxfam and UN agencies (including the Famine Early Warning System) have been warning
the world about this deteriorating situation for some time.
According to FAO (2018) asserts that, women are more likely to be food insecure than men.
Globally the prevalence of moderate or severe food insecurity is higher among women a
gender gap increased from 2018 to 2019than men. Women are more likely than men to find
access to food difficult even if they have the same income and education levels and live in
similar areas as men. “In a country that struggles with one of the world’s highest maternal
mortality rates, severe hunger due to famine could increase risks during pregnancy and
childbirth,” said Esperance Fundira, UNFPA Country Representative for South Sudan. “With
increases in premature or low-birth-weight babies and severe postpartum bleeding, the
process of giving life becomes even more likely to result in death.” Pregnant women and new
mothers who are weakened by malnutrition are also at greater risk of contracting deadly
diseases. In Yemen, where ongoing conflict has spurred severe food insecurity and
compromised health and sanitation systems, a Cholera outbreak is spreading quickly, putting
an estimated 1.1 million malnourished pregnant women at risk. Women and girls in these
countries facing famine, conflict, and displacement are also at increased risk of other crisis-
related threats like gender-based violence, HIV infection, forced sex work, or early marriage.

Overpopulation inevitably leads to overuse of resources, erosion land, shortages of water,

exhaustion of fuel supplies, destruction of forests and widespread hunger.
References

Bread for the worlds (nd) What Causes Hunger? Accessed on 4 November 2022 from

https://www.bread.org/hunger-explained/what-causes-hunger/

Hufstader, C. (2020) What is Famine? Causes and effects and how to stop it

https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/stories/what-is-famine-and-how-can-we-stop-it/

Jalan, S. (2017)

https://unfoundation.org/blog/post/facing-famine-girls-women-bear-heaviest-burden/

FAO (2018b) The gender gap in land rights: Rome: FAO accessed on 4 November 2022 from
https://www.fao.org/3/1879EN/i8796en.pd

Deering, F. J. (nd) Starvation Result of World Overpopulation

Messer, E., Cohen, M. and Marchione, T. (nd) Conflict: Cause and Effects of Hunger accessed
on 4 November 2022 from https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/conflict-cause-and-effect-
hunger

USAID (2022) Zimbabwe Resilience Fact Sheet accessed on 4 November 2022 from
https://reliefweb.int/report/zimbabwe/usaid-zimbabwe-resilience-fact-sheet