Main content

Are Famines Always Man-Made?

Humankind long ago figured out how to manage agriculture, store and distribute surplus produce or use trade to overcome hunger.

The UN has declared that South Sudan is in the grip of famine. Aid agencies have pointed the finger not at crop failure, weather or some other environmental problem. Humans, they say, have created this misery 鈥 misery which could easily have been avoided. The UN has also warned that conflicts in Yemen, Somalia and northeastern Nigeria mean there could soon be famine in those countries too, creating 鈥渢he largest humanitarian crisis since the creation of the United Nations鈥 in 1945. Humankind long ago figured out how to manage agriculture, store and distribute surplus produce or use trade to overcome hunger. So are all famines 鈥 like the one unfolding now in South Sudan 鈥 man-made? That鈥檚 our question on The Inquiry this week.

Presenter: Maria Margaronis
Producers: Phoebe Keane and Charlotte McDonald

(Photo: A woman winnows grain to separate sorghum seeds from soil following an air-drop at a village in Nyal, in Panyijar county, south Sudan, on February 23, 2015. Credit: Getty Images)

Available now

23 minutes

Last on

Sat 18 Mar 2017 22:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 14 Mar 2017 02:06GMT
  • Tue 14 Mar 2017 03:06GMT
  • Tue 14 Mar 2017 04:06GMT
  • Tue 14 Mar 2017 05:06GMT
  • Tue 14 Mar 2017 07:06GMT
  • Tue 14 Mar 2017 09:06GMT
  • Tue 14 Mar 2017 15:06GMT
  • Tue 14 Mar 2017 20:06GMT
  • Tue 14 Mar 2017 21:06GMT
  • Sat 18 Mar 2017 22:06GMT

Podcast