All language subtitles for D D S02E10 Famine 1080p AMZN WEB-DL DD2 0 H 264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

It has ravaged the world
for centuries.

Gnawing hunger,

disease pandemics,

scarce water resources,

often amongst the backdrop
of a civil war.

Famine is one of the most
ruthless of deadly disasters.

But a lack of food,

and the debilitating diseases
that follow,

is a threat to people
all around the world.

Famines don't just occur in hot,
arid areas,

but have been seen to occur
in all continents in the world.

Famine killed
almost 75 million people

in the 20th century.

In this episode,
we will explore

where some of these devastating
famines occurred.

The Soviet Union,

China and India.

Then, the Ethiopian famine
of the 1980s,

that was seared into
the consciousness of the world.

After this horrific tragedy,

famine seemed to be
on the wane.

But attempts of eradicating
world hunger

have proved to be complex
and near impossible.

We take a look at how famine
continues to devastate

parts of the Horn of Africa,

and how the specter of famine
still haunts the globe.

Populations have to endure food
shortages all over the world.

While perhaps we all think,

when we hear the word "famine,"

of situations in dry,
arid areas in Africa,

that is a relatively recent
phenomena.

Previous to that,
famines were more common

in areas in Asia
and Southeast Asia,

and also in Eastern Europe.

So we should be aware
that famines can occur

in all different types
of climates and ecosystems.

This is often a result

of catastrophic
natural disasters

at both ends of the spectrum.

Months, if not years,
of drought

can cause complete desolation.

Heavy flooding can destroy
everything in its path.

Crops can be devastated
by disease,

vermin and insect infestations.

They can be annihilated
by tropical cyclones,

or made barren
by below-freezing temperatures.

It's a hugely
impactful phenomena,

and the impact
isn't necessarily short-term,

and can last for many years
after the event.

The U.N. works
with a specific threshold

that has to be passed

before they will officially
declare a famine.

In 2004,

the Food and Agriculture
Organization

of the United Nations
developed a scale called

the Integrated Food Security
Phase Classification,

also known as the IPC scale.

It is based on the experience
of households

in a given geographic area,

and is divided
into five phases.

The first level is described
as "generally food secure."

At Phase 2, there is
borderline food insecurity.

Availability of food
is unstable,

and there may be a lack
of diversity in diet.

When there is an acute food
and livelihood crisis,

a Phase 3 situation
is declared.

There may be epidemics
of disease,

and 10 to 15 percent
of the population

suffer from acute malnutrition.

The next stage is a situation
of humanitarian emergency.

There is a severe lack of food.

Disease is now pandemic.

And there may be intense
civil conflict.

But it is only
the highest level,

Phase 5,

that is described
as a human catastrophe.

Whilst the scale is a necessary
means of classifying a famine,

only once it has been declared
is there a response.

Meaning that often,
it is already too late.

The effects of starvation on
the human body are mortifying.

The body deteriorates as it
slowly uses up its reserves.

Unless careful therapeutic
feeding is started,

the brain can be damaged,

along with other vital organs
which can fail completely,

leading to death.

Therapeutic feeding involves
administering high-energy foods

such as special pastes
made from milk powder,

sugar, oil, peanuts,

and vitamin and mineral
supplements.

Even if the victim survives,

prolonged periods of hunger
result in stunted growth,

poor cognitive development,

and health issues for the whole
of a person's life.

Entire generations
can be affected in this way,

leading to serious social
and economic consequences.

When famine wrecks a country,

it is rarely starvation
that actually causes death.

Often, the body
becomes susceptible

to infectious disease.

It's very important
to understand

that most people don't die
of starvation.

Most famine-related deaths
tend to occur

in the context
of viral diseases

that are caused
by malnourishment, dysentery,

diarrhea,
typhus or typhoid fever

are amongst the most common
famine-related diseases.

In a body that has been
severely malnourished,

the immune system
will become compromised.

It becomes prone to diseases,
such as malaria.

The natural disasters
that initiate food shortage

can also cause a lack
of clean drinking water,

leading to outbreaks of cholera
and other waterborne diseases.

These are exacerbated

when there is population
displacement,

overcrowding and poor sanitation.

In sub-Saharan Africa,

the breakdown of healthcare
systems during famine

often worsen an already low
vaccination rate,

leading to epidemics
of measles.

Famine also makes children
much more prone

to diarrhea-related illnesses,

which are the cause of death
for over half a million

under-5-year-olds
every year.

These horrific statistics have
led to a two-pronged approach

to tackling famine:

addressing malnutrition
whilst fighting disease.

Giving children under the age
of 2 vitamin A supplements

boosts their immune system

and mitigates the effects
of diseases such as measles.

Double vaccination
against measles and rotavirus,

both of which cause diarrhea,

can protect
vulnerable children.

Food shortage
leads to a concoction

of terrible health disorders

to which everyone
is susceptible.

But, sadly, some are more
vulnerable than others.

Generally, food crises
and famines

will affect poorer people
more adversely,

because they will have
less resources to start with,

and are usually more vulnerable
to the impact of famine.

Disasters tend to impact women
and girls disproportionately.

This is particularly true
of famine.

In many communities,

women have the traditional role
of caregiver,

a role that is an extra burden
in circumstances

where so many are hungry

and disease
is a serious threat.

Women farmers are often unpaid,

excluded from decision-making,

and lack political
representation.

Within the community,

women and girls are often
charged with fetching water.

During drought-induced famine,
they may have to travel further

and are at risk of violence
within a state of conflict.

In looking at
what causes famine,

one of the key factors
is conflict,

and the way governments
and non-state actors

behave in a conflict
can be a major risk factor

for the creation
of food insecurity and famine,

either directly
or indirectly

by crimes of omission
or commission,

and they can influence
the risk of famine.

Its exact causes are complex,

but its disproportionate
repercussions

make famine an even more
complicated disaster to tackle.

Yet it is truly alarming
that such an archaic disaster

should still pose such a threat

to people all over
the world today.

Even though the technical
definition of famine

is a recent science,

famine has killed
throughout history.

Europe was haunted by famine
throughout the Middle Ages,

with France suffering
75 separate outbreaks

during that period.

Between 1846 and 1851,

1 million people in Ireland
perished

during the notorious
Potato Famine.

The disaster was caused

by a fungal disease
that decimated the potato crop

on which a large part
of the Irish people depended.

After the deplorable arrival
of the disease,

came the even worse response
of the British government,

who continued to export
large quantities of food

from Ireland.

It was really through
those forced exports

encouraged by
the British government,

exports of other foodstuffs,
exports of oats,

exports of butter,
cheese and fish,

that the shortage in Ireland
was transported

into a full-fledged famine.

These actions would cause

the worst famine in Europe
in the 19th century.

When natural disasters occur
in vast countries

who are in the process
of profound social change,

the risk of famine
is very high.

And this proved to be the case
in the Soviet Union,

on three separate occasions.

Between 1921 and 1922,

around 5 million people died
from a lack of food.

Russia had been in a state of
constant conflict since 1914.

Russia was involved concurrently
in no less than four wars.

You have the First World War,

then you also had the Civil War

between the Bolshevik regime
and the Tsarist supporters.

Then you also have
the Intervention War,

the invasion of several
former allies

of the Tsarist government
into Russia.

And finally, you also had
war against Poland.

The World War
and subsequent revolution

had left infrastructure in
tatters and millions displaced.

A relentless drought resulted
in severe crop failures.

Farmers understood the need

to store enough grain
through bad harvests,

but for several years
they were particularly bad.

Furthermore,
what little grain was left

was often taken by soldiers
fighting the revolutionary war.

Now the granaries were empty
and families were starving.

Some fled to the city,

but were dismayed
to find people

dying in the streets
of Kiev and Moscow.

The League of Nations

described the famine

as the worst in Europe
in modern times.

But then help came
from the most unlikely source,

in the form of aid
from a country

that was the sworn enemy
of communism:

the United States.

The relief effort was pushed
through by Herbert Hoover,

who had been appointed
the U.S. food administrator

during the First World War.

He continued his work
after the conflict

to the war-torn countries
in Europe.

American ships began supplying
aid in September of 1921,

bringing corn grits, cocoa,
condensed milk,

white bread and sugar.

Congress agreed to send
$20 million worth

of wheat and corn
to the starving millions.

Three hundred American
relief workers

set out across Russia
using camels,

horses and sleds to establish
the networks required

to distribute the millions
of bushels

and thousands of tons of seeds.

They hired 120,000 Russians
and set up 19,000 kitchens.

By August 1922,

the American Relief Association

was feeding around
11 million people every day.

The harvest of 1922,

planted from seeds
donated by the Americans,

brought an end
to this miserable famine.

But relief was short-lived.

Less than a decade later,

famine returned
to the vast country.

Between 1931 to 1934,

around 5 million people died.

The year of 1932 was a very,
very dry year, and as a result,

the harvest stood quite below
its expected levels.

Uh, but there still were
enough foodstuffs

to supply the local
starving population.

And it was really down
to institutional factors

that the shortage
became famine.

At the time,

the Soviet Union was
the world's largest country,

and Stalin had attempted
to impose central control

over nearly 22 and a half
million square kilometers.

It was a Herculean task.

In order to feed the population
of around 168 million,

Stalin attempted to reorganize
agricultural production.

The government ordered the
confiscation of private land

and forced labor
on collective farms.

However,
many landowners resisted,

destroying livestock
and machinery

before giving up
their farms.

Food production
quickly plummeted,

and famine swiftly followed.

Repressive political measures
in Ukraine

resulted in the starvation
of almost 4 million people.

After eventually bringing
food production under control,

the country was to be battered
once more

as a result
of the Second World War.

There were two famines
in the '40s

that were experienced
by the U.S.S.R.

First you have the localized
famine that took place

during the siege of Leningrad
in 1941.

Now, it was perhaps the
harshest historical blockade

in all history.

It has been estimated that out
of over 3 million citizens

of Leningrad
that were living in the city

on the eve of the blockade,

only 750,000 people
survived this famine,

and therefore we can say
that it was one of the most

devastating famines
in human history.

Many men never returned
to the countryside.

A shortage
of agricultural labor

alongside another severe
drought in 1946

resulted in
over 1 million deaths.

Famine is a natural disaster,

often made worse by the actions
of those in power.

Sometimes through incompetence,
but often willfully.

During armed conflicts,

access to food
may be used as a weapon.

During the two world wars,

parts of Germany and Poland
were cut off

by military blockades.

The result was mass starvation.

In the winter of 1944 to 1945,

the Netherlands
was enduring

its last months
under Nazi occupation.

The particularly cold winter
caused crops to fail,

and when the Nazis also imposed
a food embargo,

it left large parts
of the population

without enough to eat.

The resulting famine was dubbed
the Hongerwinter,

literally,
"the hunger winter."

Around 20,000 people
starved to death.

Famine wasn't just
ravaging Europe

through the 20th century.

China was also suffering.

And while drought is often
the catalyst for famine,

too much water can be
just as devastating.

A land of enormous
physical diversity,

China has vast, fertile
and heavily populated regions

to the east and along
the southern coast.

It contains
isolated populations

in barren mountain ranges
and arid deserts.

Its climate is equally diverse,

and suffers from droughts
and floods

that can be disastrous
for food production.

In 1931,
one such disaster struck.

The mighty Yangtze River
flooded.

From 1928 to 1931,

China was hit by a drought,

a monstrous snowstorm,

heavy rain and a cyclone.

Political instability
and mismanagement

led to the monitoring
of the river to be neglected,

and so when more tumultuous
weather hit in 1931,

the dams broke
and Central China was engulfed.

The ensuing flood inundated

77,700 square kilometers
of agricultural land.

The rice crops
on which millions depended

were wiped out.

With their homes swept away
and no food to eat,

a mass migration followed.

Desperately weak and hungry
people were ravaged by disease,

with 3 million people
dying from illness

and 80 million left homeless.

It was to be one of the worst
natural disasters

in Chinese history.

Nearly 30 years later,

the country suffered from
the infamous Chinese famine

that killed 30 million
people...

a disaster that was fueled

by the catastrophic policies
of the government.

History has shown that famine
is far more complex

than just a shortage of food.

Its root causes are a tangle
of different factors.

The careful study by people
such as the economist

Amartya Sen
revealed this to be the case.

Through his work
on the Bengal famine of 1943,

Sen argued that instead
of there being

a simple lack of food
availability,

the problem lies
with individuals

unable to exchange
their primary entitlements.

Speculative buying and panic
hoarding pushes food prices up,

with devastating effects.

Bengal was wrecked by a cyclone
and tidal waves.

Homes were destroyed,

thousands of people killed,

and hundreds of thousands
of cattle lost.

Flooding spread diseases
like malaria and cholera...

while the pores
of a fungal disease

infested rice plants,

destroying 90 percent of crops.

But the consequences
of these disasters

could have been curbed

were it not for the role
politics played.

The actions of British prime
minister Winston Churchill,

who continued to export
rice stocks,

would lead to the death
of 3 million people.

And in the Bengal famine
you could argue again

the British government response
was inadequate or inappropriate,

as you could also say with
the Great Leap Forward famine

in China, or many
of the other famines

that have occurred
around the world historically.

So the government
or state role in this,

as well as non-state actors,
is of great importance.

The relationship
between economics,

politics and famine
is strenuous,

and one that gets to the heart

of what a government's role
should be.

Some say the free movement
of food during a shortage

should be stopped,

as it encourages profiteering,
stockpiling,

and leads to the further
increase of food prices.

Others think free trade
motivates traders

to search for maximum profits,

and will therefore naturally
bring food

to those areas
where it is most needed.

With a disaster
of such complex causes,

there is no easy solution.

It was the famine in Ethiopia
between 1983 and 1985

that galvanized the world
to action

in a way never seen before.

The Horn of Africa,
on the east of the continent,

is subject to particularly
harsh droughts.

The low rainfall in 1984

resulted in
a disastrous harvest

in the north of the country.

Food became more scarce,
and prices quickly rose.

At the same time,
in the northern regions

of Eritrea and Tigre,

wars were being fought
for independence of Ethiopia.

I don't think the government
was terribly interested

in aiding a population that they
regarded as rather rebellious.

And it certainly inhibited
aid agencies, foreign agencies,

from responding as they should
have done,

because it was physically
so difficult to operate

in northern Ethiopia.

With the economy
starting to crumble,

many were unable
to afford food.

In March 1984,
the Ethiopian government,

unable to cope
with the worsening crisis,

asked the international
community for help.

But aid agencies were unable
to stop thousands from dying.

And due to inadequate
transport,

organization and security,

they were impeded
from getting help to areas

where they were
desperately needed.

By the summer of 1984,

thousands were dying

and 6 million were at risk
of starvation.

Although newspaper reports
of the famine had emerged,

it was the graphic
television footage

of the suffering being endured

that brought home the sheer
horror of the situation.

BBC reporter Michael Buerk

stood amongst
the distraught Ethiopians

at a feeding station
on a dusty plain.

He described the situation

as a Biblical famine
in the 20th century.

The conscience of the world
was awakened,

and prompted the most
highly publicized

international relief effort
in history.

In November of that year,

the first relief plane
from Great Britain

landed in the Ethiopian capital
Addis Ababa.

Celebrities,
such as Liv Ulmann,

traveled to the disaster

to keep the world's attention
focused

on the plight of the starving.

How many times must you see
a child die in your living room

before you just say, enough.

Musician Bob Geldof

was so moved that he convinced
a group of 40 other pop stars

to join him
in the relief effort.

The newly formed Band Aid
and their record,

"Do They Know It's Christmas"

became the fastest-selling
single ever released,

raising over $10 million.

Despite the best efforts
of aid agencies

from around the world,
the famine endured.

Around 600,000 people
were displaced,

forced to locate around
designated areas

where relief could be provided.

Bob Geldof and fellow musician
Midge Ure

continued their remarkable
efforts to raise money

and awareness of the disaster.

Concerts at the Wembley Stadium
in London,

and the John F. Kennedy Stadium
in Philadelphia

were beamed live
to over a billion people

and raised more than
$125 million for food aid

and long-term development
in Ethiopia.

It's just a staggering
achievement.

I'm very proud to be part of it.

International aid
plays a vital role

both in alleviating emergencies
as they happen,

and also in long-term help
during prolonged periods

of food shortage.

Humanitarian organizations
such the U.N.

have continued to work
with high-profile figures

to bring the plight
of those caught up

in deadly disasters

to the attention
of the wider public.

Nations with
a production surplus

ship food to countries
in need of it,

where it is then distributed
by humanitarian organizations

on the ground.

One such organization
is the World Food Program,

the largest humanitarian
organization,

eradicating hunger and food
insecurity around the world.

It is currently working
in over 80 countries

to help over 86 million people
every year.

But while there are
serious attempts

to tackle this disaster,

famine still devastates
the world

well into the modern day.

Twenty-five years
after the disaster in Ethiopia,

Somalia, a neighboring country
on the east coast of Africa,

was struck by famine.

It killed an estimated
260,000 people,

half of them children
under the age of 5.

Children are often the most
vulnerable in a famine context,

because of their high food needs

in terms of kilocalories
per kilo,

and also because they tend
to be most vulnerable

to infectious diseases,

because their immune system
is less developed

than in adults.

The livelihoods of Somalians

depend on the country's
rainfall.

There are two main seasons.

The gu occurs
from April to June,

and the deyr
from October to November.

Market prices rise and fall

depending on the time of year.

They decrease after
the gu and deyr seasons

as the harvests
are replenished,

and increase when stock
is low in between.

The careful balance

between harvest yields
and market prices

is a delicate one.

With the extreme weather
that Somalia experiences,

the balance can be offset
with devastating effects.

Africa's droughts
are increasing,

due to climate change
fueling the effects

of the El Niño
and La Niña cycles

across the Pacific.

The crisis started in 2010,

when the usual deyr rains
that fall

between October and December
stopped,

and failed to adequately water
the pastures

and freshly planted crops.

La Niña cools water

over the central
and eastern Pacific,

while the western Pacific
waters warm up.

The result of the phenomena

is intense rains
across Australia

and Southeast Asia.

Westerly winds whip across
the Indian Ocean,

removing any moisture
from East Africa.

The result in 2011
was an unforgiving drought.

And what we're looking at
is building up

the food supplies here,
because people come here,

many of them haven't eaten
in days or weeks.

And some of the children
we've seen are very weak.

It was the worst drought
in 60 years.

Many areas didn't get rain
for nine months.

The severity of the drought
was recorded by satellite data,

which showed how little rain
fell that year.

There were reports
of animal carcasses

strewn across roadsides,

the remnants of livestock
crucial to survival

for so many families.

Due to years of war,

there were no stockpiles

to deflect
the impending disaster.

Reduced harvests and a fall
in the demand for labor

meant that food prices
rocketed.

All this was happening
amongst extreme conflict.

By July of the following year,

the U.N. declared
that southern Somalia

was in a state of famine,

affecting 3.1 million people.

The area was controlled
by Al-Shabaab,

a militant Islamist group
who turned a dire situation

into something catastrophic.

They stopped aid agencies

from helping
the starving population.

The famine spread to areas

controlled by the government,

including the capital,
Mogadishu,

where 17 percent of children
under 5 perished.

This time, though,

the international community
was slow to react.

Despite repeated warnings
of an impending catastrophe,

aid to Somalia between
2010 and 2011 actually fell.

In September 2011,

a major appeal
for donations was launched,

which helped raise funds
through the next two months

before the rains returned
in November,

and food prices
finally lowered.

All these folk we've been
talking to just here,

have walked, some of them
for three days,

some of them for one month,
another for two months,

because there's no food
and water,

and a few of the kids
that we've spoken to

through their parents
are not doing very well.

By February 2012,

the U.N. was able to declare
that the famine in Somalia

had ended.

But famine still remains
a terrifying threat to Somalia

and other countries
in the Horn of Africa.

Six years later,

Somalia succumbed
to another drought,

with millions in need
of food assistance,

at risk of killer diseases,
and with no access to water.

So far we lost the livestock.

We have not lost
a lot of people yet.

But we are reaching
that moment

where you will see a lot
of people dying because of--

You know, we could not provide
the food or what they need.

We started a campaign
for Somalia,

for Yemen and for South Sudan,

because in East Africa
they need support

and they are regionally
affected.

In the same year
in South Sudan,

a famine was declared.

It was the first in the world
for six years.

South Sudan is warming
at one of the fastest rates

in the world.

The combination of an increase
in drought and flooding

has caused desertification
to spread through the country.

At the same time,

farmers have had to fight
against crop pests and disease,

whilst constantly battling
through exhaustion.

Famine is persistently
at the forefront

of the nation's mind.

Combined with conflict
and chronic poverty,

it makes the impending disaster
ever more inevitable.

South Sudan became independent
in 2011.

However,
despite its liberation,

the country was in
a fragile state.

Armed rebellions
and border clashes persisted.

Ethnic tensions
were fiercely abundant,

and mass killings
a terrible reality.

Furthermore, the army
was disorganized and fractured.

It was split by the same
ethnic groups

that were dividing the country.

In 2013,

the nation was enveloped
in a civil war

after accusations
of there being a coup

against the government.

By 2017,

the situation was bleak.

We hear of villages
being plundered and burnt.

We hear of rape.

So yes, all these killings
are really happening,

and this has to stop.

Around 100,000 people
were affected.

Many had been displaced
from their homes

by the ongoing civil war.

And to make matters worse,

the country was to be hit
by deadly weather conditions.

Rainfall was erratic with areas
suffering from severe drought.

The crops and cattle
which did survive

often had to be abandoned
due to conflict.

With no crops or livestock,

people were reduced to fishing,
and foraging for food

such as wild fruit
or water lily roots.

For many, the only
available water

was from ponds
and the brackish,

almost motionless rivers,

leaving them vulnerable
to cholera and other diseases.

In March 2017,

42 percent of the population
were severely food-insecure.

After a blistering few months,

the weather turned
and rain clouds appeared.

However, instead
of providing relief

to the desperate
population,

quite the opposite happened.

When the rains eventually fell
in September,

flooding made it difficult
for aid to be distributed,

as roads were engulfed.

The spread of disease
became ever more extensive,

and the potential for harvests
was shattered.

Refugees had to move
through areas

controlled by rival
armed militia.

Four million people
were displaced,

with around 2 million fleeing
to neighboring countries,

many of which,
like Ethiopia, Kenya,

Sudan and Uganda
were in the grip

of food insecurity
themselves.

By 2019,

the situation was still dire,

with nearly 7 million people
still facing severe hunger.

South Sudan is one of the most
vulnerable countries

to the effects
of climate change.

It is estimated that it will be
felt two-and-a-half times more

than the global average.

Agriculture, fisheries
and resources from forests

are essential for nearly
95 percent of the population

who depend on them
for their livelihoods.

A vicious cycle of conflict
and food shortage

is a daunting prospect
for the future,

as streams dry up,
deforestation increases,

and farming communities suffer.

In places where catastrophic
weather patterns

collide with turbulent
politics,

it is difficult to predict

when this kind of disaster
will end.

In the longer term, I think,

with climate change
and population growth

and increasing conflict
over rare resources,

I'm afraid I'm not
particularly optimistic.

I think famine
is going to be an issue

that haunts humanity
for the foreseeable future.

Famine is a highly
complex disaster,

with an entanglement of causes,

each of which is highly
challenging to address.

The focus is shifting
from managing the crisis,

to managing the risk.

Advances have been made

in the ability
to predict drought

and manage the following
implications.

In recent years,
we've gotten much better

at predicting famines

due to efforts
from the United Nations

and others in setting up
Famine Early Warning Systems.

So using satellite imagery,
for example,

we can look at the impact of
a low rainfall on vegetation.

That can help us
make predictions

about how people are being
impacted on the ground.

Agricultural production
is carefully monitored.

Price movements within
the commodity and labor markets

are frequently checked.

These precautionary
measures can be used

to anticipate possible
food emergencies,

and preemptive steps
can be taken.

The Red Cross Center
for Climate Change

is just one agency
that has developed

forecast-based financing.

Using this model,

funds are automatically
released

when a certain alert threshold
is reached,

getting aid to where
it is needed quickly.

The agency focuses
on the ability of people

to support themselves,

putting them
in a better position

to cope during and after
a crisis.

But too often,
warnings are either ignored

or not acted on
in good time.

This is a dilemma known as
"early warning, late response."

Often this occurs

due to inefficient bureaucracy

or political expediency.

Food is withheld
by certain groups

as a means of exerting
power and influence.

Despite international law

explicitly forbidding
the use of food

as a weapon of war,

in some cases
it still happens.

The primary responsibility

for preventing a food crisis
or famine

will lie with the government
of that particular state

or territory where the problem
is occurring.

And for various reasons,

governments may not respond
in the most appropriate way.

For example, if they are
an occupying power,

their political priorities
may lie elsewhere.

If they are fighting a conflict,

then organizations and states

have often used food
as a weapon of war.

Or if they are just politically
disinterested

in that particular population,

because their priorities
lie elsewhere,

again, that may be a reason
why they choose not to respond

as fully as they could,

and therefore famines
are more likely to develop.

Research suggests
that in recent decades,

the number of famines worldwide
has significantly decreased,

as has the geographic area

in which populations
are at risk of it.

But the fact that famine
still exists

within a world
that should be able

to provide
for everyone's needs,

is a disaster within itself.

According to
the United Nations,

there are still
700 million people

exposed to severe levels
of food insecurity.

Which means that nine
in every hundred people

are not sure where
their next meal is coming from.

Even if famine has not been
officially declared,

there are still countries
around the globe

who are on the brink of crisis.

There are ways of preventing
food shortage

turning into
a humanitarian emergency.

Using our scientific knowledge

to anticipate the early signs
of famine.

Inoculating against
the diseases

that are associated
with malnutrition.

And solving the conflicts
that exacerbate food shortages.

Natural causes are
at the heart of famine,

and attempts to curb these
disastrous weather patterns

must be at the core of any plan
to end world hunger.

As global temperatures
increase,

the yields from staple crops
go down.

The spread of infectious
disease accelerates.

Thousands will become displaced
as a result of severe heat...

droughts,

storms and floods.

At the same time,
the U.N. predicts

that the global population
will leap

from 7.8 to 11.2 billion

by the year 2100,

meaning that the world
could be heading towards

a food security crisis.

Unless we tackle climate change

and the resulting
extreme weather events,

rising sea levels,

desertification and water shortages,

the battle to eradicate

the most terrifying
of disasters, famine,

will be lost.