ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the dynamic processes that were adopted by individuals vis-a-vis indigenous institutions as they were faced with food scarcity and famine in Western Sudan, Kordofan and Darfur. A great deal of the available literature focuses on the Western response to the African crisis, and the efficacy of macro-level political organizations in dealing with the famine. During the drought, sorghum and millet yields drastically decreased, and market prices skyrocketed to 278 percent of normal prices. In Sudan, during the drought, it was reported that many wealthy individuals fed and gave money to the needy as part of the Zakah custom. During the first two years of the drought, 1981-1983, people relied heavily on indigenous institutions for coping with food shortages. With the drought, the role of political leaders was redefined, especially in the “second stage” of the drought.
