FAMINE EXPLAINED
Right now areas of Somalia are at risk of famine. But what does this mean for children and families affected?
Here are 10 things facts that explain what a famine is and why and when the “f-word” is used by humanitarian organizations. There are usually multiple factors associated to actually declare a famine. Fortunately, famines are not declared often, but when they are it means children and adults affected are already dying of hunger-related causes and malnutrition.
1.What is a famine?
Famine is defined as the extreme scarcity of food and is the most severe phase of the United Nations’ system to monitor food insecurity. Food security is about having access to enough nutritious food. The United Nations’ system, set up in 2004, is the global standard for the classification of acute food insecurity. The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system uses a set of standardized coding to determine the severity of food insecurity with a focus on the intensity of a situation. There are five IPC levels, each with specific criteria and classification.
2.What conditions need to be met to be declared a famine?
A famine is declared in a region when an area has at least 20% of households facing an extreme lack of food, at least 30% of children suffering from acute malnutrition, and two people out of every 10,000 dying each day from starvation and the impacts of malnutrition and disease.
3.What is the purpose of the IPC system?
The main goal of the IPC system is to generate the information decision-makers need to trigger action to prevent hunger crises from deteriorating further and save lives. It provides them with an evidence- and consensus-based analysis of food insecurity and acute malnutrition to inform emergency responses as well as medium to long-term policy and programming. Essentially, this system informs the global community when urgent action is need and when programs to save lives need to be scaled up.
4.Who decides when to declare a famine?
The decision to declare famine is highly political with several parties are involved, including the government of the affected country and various United Nations agencies. The declaration is normally informed by classification through the IPC system and an analysis by the “Famine Early Warning Systems Network” (FEWSNET). This network was set up in 1985 following the devastating famines in East and West Africa, which led to the deaths of about one million people in Ethiopia in 1984.
5.Does a famine declaration enforce action?
Sadly, no. The declaration of a famine carries no binding obligations on the UN or member states, but serves to focus global attention on the problem. As mentioned in #2 above, it is a technical declaration that results from certain percentages of people in a given area lacking enough food, a certain percentage of children suffering from acute malnutrition and a certain number of deaths in the population. It’s a declaration triggered by measurable numbers.
6.When was the last famine declared?
Famine was declared in parts of South Sudan on February 2017 when nearly 80,000 people faced famine conditions (IPC Phase 5). Another one million people were classified as being in emergency conditions, or IPC Phase 4. This followed three years of civil war that had devastated livelihoods, coupled with an ailing economy and high food prices.
7.Has Somalia been declared in famine before?
A famine was declared in parts of southern Somalia in 2011 when 490,000 people were experiencing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity (IPC Phase 5) due to conflict, drought, and high food prices. About 260,000 people died, over half were children under five years old. When another drought crippled Somalia in 2017, rapid action helped avert a famine.
8.What action can be taken to avert a famine?
There are four key areas that are critical to averting famine:
1) Early warning and action
2) An international coordinated response
3) Full and unimpeded humanitarian access
4) End of conflicts
These factors are needed to ensure food, agricultural supplies, livestock, water, sanitation and hygiene, health and nutrition reach the most vulnerable communities. Full and unchecked humanitarian access is particularly essential to establish operations, as well as to move goods and personnel where they are needed. This is particularly the case in conflict zones where safe access is critical.
While it is vital to respond in the short term to save lives, the long-term focus must be on the underlying causes of hunger, malnutrition and food insecurity, including conflict and climate change. This includes building the resilience of families’ livelihoods, markets and food systems while governments must implement long-term, costed nutrition plans.
9.Why are children affected more by a famine than adults?
Children facing malnutrition due to starvation are much more susceptible to disease and illnesses such as dysentery, diarrhea, cholera, malaria and pneumonia. Without enough nutritious food to eat or the ability to absorb the right nutrients due to illness, children under five are at high risk of acute malnutrition which can lead to death – or if a child survives, can cause stunting, and hinder mental and physical development. Famine conditions also make families much more likely to take drastic measures to survive, including marrying younger children off for food or money, or taking children permanently out of school to work.
10.Why is use of the term famine so controversial?
Famine has both human and political connotations. For people, it destroys livelihoods resulting in life-threatening shortages of food, increased severe malnutrition, disease outbreaks, and excess deaths. For humanitarian organizations, famine is the outcome of prevention and response failure. For governments, it can be politically contentious as it can point to a failure of governance and inability to provide basic protection for its people.