Enough With Famines In Ethiopia

When in 2002/03 Ethiopia was ushered into the twenty-first century by the threat of famine of unprecedented proportion, it stirred a deeply felt reaction to call on policy-makers and ordinary citizens to raise arms against a scourge which has afflicted their country throughout its long history. The announcement of the threat of famine amounted to a virtual acknowledgement that the country?s past national development goal has been little more than a pipe dream. For, no claim of development can be made in the face of the prospect of mass starvation. It is proposed that a new start is needed in Ethiopia in the pursuit of the goal of lasting food security and the prevention of recurrent famine, one which can at times put to question the conventional development wisdom, and calls for a commitment to certain key principles which can help prevent the repetition of past failures while at the same time providing the foundation for future progress. It is argued that lasting food security can only be achieved by means of an interactive development process involving the sustainable development of agriculture and an increasingly diversified national economy. In concluding, the main questions which may likely concern many people are addressed directly. Wherefrom are the investment resources to be obtained, and where the capacities are to be summoned to promote the scale and tempo of the development envisaged? Examples are offered of the types of measures which could be considered in response to the future development challenges. Ultimately, both the ends of development and the means by which they might be attained must derive impetus from the cravings and drive for accomplishment of ordinary people acting individually or collectively in the pursuit of their common interests. The primary instrument for unleashing this potential belongs to the political realm.

The terrible 1984 famine in Ethiopia focused the world's attention on the country and the issue of aid as never before. Anyone over the age of 30 remembers something of the events - if not the original TV pictures, then Band Aid and Live Aid, Geldof and Bono. Peter Gill was the first journalist to reach the epicentre of the famine and one of the TV reporters who brought the tragedy to light. This book is the story of what happened to Ethiopia in the 25 years following Live Aid: the place, the people, the westerners who have tried to help, and the wider multinational aid business that has come into being. We saved countless lives in the beginning and continued to save them now, but have we done much else to transform the lives of Ethiopia's poor and set them on a 'development' course that will enable the country to do without us?

Concepts and research approach; A record of drought and famine in Ethiopia; Household responses to drought and famine; Agricultural constraints: conflict, policy, and drought; Prices and markets during famine; Public intervention during famine.

Abstract: This book discusses the Ethiopian famine of 1984-5 and the relief effort that was conducted to alleviate the suffering. The publication is divided into 2 segments written by different authors. Background to the Ethiopian situation and possibilities for future action are discussed. The details of the administration and history of the famine relief effort are reviewed.

Discusses the Ethiopian famine of the 1980s within its historical, geographical, and political contexts and examines the possibility of future famines there.

Monograph of articles on drought and malnutrition in Ethiopia - surveys the effects of the drought upon agricultural production in the various provinces before and during the natural disaster, and discusses recent aid programmes for economic recovery in rural areas. Illustrations, maps and statistical tables.