The History and Future of Famine
In the seven decades since World War II, the number of people who died from famines fell spectacularly. The drumbeat of 10 million starving every decade faded to a small fraction of that toll, and the near-elimination of famine mortality is one of the great achievements of our time.
Today, however, the global decline in famines and famine deaths has suddenly halted and is being reversed. The increase is not due to climate or natural disaster; it is driven by war, blockade, hostility to humanitarian principles, and a volatile global economy.
This WPF research program, led by Alex de Waal, presents a history of modern famines: their causes, dimensions, and why they ended. Through our ground-breaking dataset of famines (1870 – 2010) and new analysis, starvation is revealed as a crime and an instrument of genocide and war. Political decision or political failing is an essential element in every famine, while the spread of democracy and human rights, and the ending of wars, were major factors in the near-ending of this devastating phenomenon.
Outputs:
Famine Trends Dataset: includes two kinds of overlapping events, which have hitherto largely been studied separately: (1) great and catastrophic famines, and (2) episodes of mass intentional starvation. Access the dataset and download charts and tables that document global famines from 1870 – 2010.
Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine (Polity Books, 2017).World-renowned expert on humanitarian crisis and response, and WPF Executive Director, Alex de Waal, provides an authoritative history of modern famines: their causes, dimensions and why they ended.
“What Everyone Should Know about Famine” (World Peace Foundation, March 2019). Intended for a general audience, this 12-page educational resource, provides a concise over of famine and demonstrates how modern famines are man-made and the result of political choices. The World Peace Foundation would like to thank Adam Weiss for his important contribution to this educational resource.
Video
Alex de Waal introduces the main themes of his book, Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine.
Additional Outputs:
- “The Nazis Used it, We Use it,” by Alex de Waal, London Review of Books (39:12, June 15, 2017).
- “Operation Starvation“, by Alex de Waal, an Occasional Paper published by the World Peace Foundation (June 16, 2017).
- “‘Famine as mass atrocity’: in conversation with Alex de Waal. Small Changes, a podcast from The Guardian.
Book launch events in 2018
Dec. 6: Mass starvation: tackling the political causes of famine, Overseas Development Institute
Nov. 19: The Future of Famine, Sussex Center for Conflict and Security, University of Sussex
Oct. 10: Council on African Studies Lecture Series, Yale University
Oct. 25: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
July 3, 2018: Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine, Rift Valley Forum, Nairobi
May 4: MA: The Return of Famine, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University
May 9: Mass Starvation: 21st Century Crime, Royal Irish Academy, Dublin, sponsored Trócaire and Concern Worldwide
May 10: Cork: The Memory and Utility of Mass Starvation, UCC Center for Global Development
Apr. 19: National Defense Academy of Japan
Apr. 26: Global Health Initiative, Brown University, RI
Mar. 1: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Mar. 15: NY: International Rescue Committee
Feb. 1: DC: Center for Strategic & International Studies
Feb. 22: The Hague: Leiden University, 5:30 book signing, event 6 p.m
Feb 26: Galway: National University of Ireland
Jan. 18: Copenhagen: Danish Institute for International Studies