10 Facts About Famine

Famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies.

Famine was first eliminated in Holland and England during the 17th century, due to the commercialization of agriculture and the implementation of improved techniques to increase crop yields.

The Famine Code applied a strategy of generating employment for these sections of the population and relied on open-ended public works to do so.

Famine recurred in the early 1970s, when Ethiopia and the west African Sahel suffered drought and famine.

Famine's regime emptied the cities, abolished currency and private property, and forced Cambodia's population into slavery on communal farms.

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Famine struck North Korea in the mid-1990s, set off by unprecedented floods.

Famine still occurred in Eastern Europe during the 20th century.

Famine struck in Western Europe during the Second World War.

Famine in Yemen is a direct result of the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen and the blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia and its allies, including the United States.

In July 2005, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network labelled Niger with emergency status, as well as Chad, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Somalia and Zimbabwe.