Introduction:
Almost all round the year, we do hear that famines have struck at different parts of the world.
Famine basically refers to a condition where there is extreme scarcity of food due to the main two reasons – excessive floods or excessive droughts.
A situation that sometimes could be so fatal leading to the deaths of thousands.
Major causes of famine:
There are both the natural reasons and man-made reasons that may lead to famines. Inadequate water supply or also known as draught a natural condition, is one severe condition leading to famines, where there is almost no supply of water to the crops leading to the destruction of crops This may be due to shortage in rainfall, water supply or various other reasons. This would lead to a situation where there is no adequate supply of food for the people of the place and hence lead to famines, taking lives of many.
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Another natural condition is flood, where water is too much in excess and it would in turn either wash away the crops or have clogged water leading to the damage of crops. These conditions are more seen during the monsoons or areas that are mostly in the monsoon regions. Too much water also leads to the damage of crops and cultivation.
Another reason leading to the destruction of crops is pest manifestation. Sometimes a crop would be affected by a particular kind of pest in large quantities that it ultimately leads to the destruction of the entire crop leaving no food to be cultivated.
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All these are natural conditions which could not be controlled beyond a limit or in some conditions, nothing being done. All the irrigation and cultivation would have to be started from the beginning in these cases. Certain other cases where famines may arise due to man-made reason would include like war, divergent political reactions etc.….
During wars, there is lot of damage done to the crops apart from humans and animals and this could lead to severe shortage of food, leading to famines. Lands would be destroyed, making no place for proper cultivation of food, thus leading to famines and deaths in large numbers.
Prevention:
The only way in preventing such situations is by stocking of adequate supplies when a call of danger is sensed. When there is sufficient stored food, the chances of sky rocketing prices and famine could be made under control to a certain level, if not all. Though famines cannot be fully controlled, it could definitely be bought down with proper planning and prevention.
Conclusion:
Famines caused by natural calamities may be unpredictable, but those that are caused by man, are to a certain extend predictable and hence should be managed accordingly as food is an important criteria for every living being to sustain their life. Famines are worst disaster that mankind could face and we should try to do our maximum to bring it down to what we can.