Famine
Widespread scarcity of food
Summary
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food caused by several possible factors, including, but not limited to: war, natural disasters, crop failure, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usually accompanied or followed by regional malnutrition, starvation, epidemic, and increased mortality. Every inhabited continent in the world has experienced a period of famine throughout history. In historical and modern data, the Americas have been among the least famine-affected regions globally. During the 19th and 20th centuries, China, India, Europe, and the Middle East suffered the greatest number of fatalities due to famine. Deaths caused by famine declined sharply beginning in the 1970s, with numbers falling further since 2000. In 2011, millions in East Africa were affected by famine. As of 2025, Haiti, Afghanistan, Sudan, Yemen, and Gaza have experienced famine.
Originally created by WojPob
5/5/2002, 1:56:02 AM
Modified
5/15/2026, 2:35:57 PM
Recent revisions
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Fixing [[:Category:Harv and Sfn no-target errors|harv/sfn reference errors]]. Please install [[User:Trappist the monk/HarvErrors.js]] and watchlist [[:Category:Harv and Sfn no-target errors]] to help you spot such errors when reading and editing.
There was already food scarcity cause by the french. The Japanese are not all to blame.
I completed the definition with the new terminology related to famine with reasonable evidence, and the current scientific debate about the appropriateness of the classification and declaration system.
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/* Attempts at famine alleviation */ Fix typo/grammar with intent to preserve original meaning.
/* Risk of future famine */ updated URLs, replaced: http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/74029/1/Papaioannou_Weather%20shocks%20and%20agricultural_2017.pdf → https://researchonline.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/74029/ (2)
