ABSTRACT
During 1984 and 1985, the tragedies of famine in Ethiopia were brought into the homes of the more fortunate inhabitants of the Western World by the technological achievements of electronic communications. Many famines can be attributed to carefully thought-out, well-meaning governmental interventions which subsequently exerted an unforseen negative effect on food supplies. In Africa, the promotion of cash crops for export and food price subsidies for urban consumers are two such factors which have been implicated in food shortages. In attempting to develop a plan for the prevention of famine, it is necessary to understand not only the effects of famine. In attempting famine prediction and prevention, priority for data gathering should be given to those areas with ecological characteristics that put them at risk. Inadequate per capita food grain availability is merely the final insult in the genesis of famine. The complexity of inter-related factors affecting this availability emphasizes the magnitude of the task of prevention.
