The Issue of Starvation in the Countries with Enough Food

Introduction 

All citizens of poverty-stricken countries should strive to fight for equal distribution for all in the society. The upper-class citizens feel entitled to all the food in the country leaving a large percentage of the population hungry. Most countries that are stricken with famine are able to feed the whole population; but instead, the elite gets a hold of these substantial amounts of food and keep for themselves or directly export. It is a difficult situation to be in a country with enough food but being “too poor to eat”. This phenomenon is inhuman and these perpetrators must be brought to book, in which case, a transparent distribution system should be introduced. 

Entitlement Approach 

Starvation can be defined as the circumstance where an individual does not have enough food to eat. Starvation may or may not be directly caused by the dynamics of the food supply. This supply of food is affected by the entitlements that individuals may have to the source of food. There are various entitlement relations that may legitimize the ownership of the food supply and its system. These relations could be trade-based, production-based, own labor or inheritance and transfer entitlement. These relations listed are the more basic kinds that are straight forward and will hold up in a court of law; there exist a few more entitlement relations that are a bit more complex and traditional (Sen, 1981). 

Socialist and capitalist economies differ in how they consider the scope of ownership. Since a socialist economy does not allow private ownership of property for production, production-based entitlement is useless. A capitalist economy permits the private ownership of production as this is one of its driving forces. These economies, therefore, will treat food production and distribution in very different ways. The socialist will focus on production so that all may get food while the capitalist will insist on the production by private entities so as to turn a profit. 

In order to understand poverty and starvation, it is imperative to come to terms with the patterns of ownership and entitlements. There are some forces behind the scenes that may affect these aspects of the food supply. The structure of the classes of the society is instrumental in knowing the forces that affect how food is distributed. Developed countries do not experience famine like underdeveloped countries do; this could be attributed to the social security system. It ensures that there is a surefire minimum entitlement value that every citizen receives. The high percentage of unemployment does not affect the food supply system as all citizens are allowed to afford the bare minimum that is enough to avoid starvation (Sen, 1981). 

Countries like Indian have a famine prevention system in which the government prioritizes employment creation or pays the unemployable (Dreze & Sen, 1989). This method was initially started in the late nineteenth century and has undergone continuous improvements over the years like a structured public distribution system. The triggering mechanism prompts the aforementioned system that keeps the supply system on its toes. A lack of this triggering mechanism in the famine prevention caused the Bengal famine of 1943. 

On the other hand, China had a proper public delivery and distribution system that was designed to deal with famine as it threatened to engulf its citizens from 1958. There was a large decrease in the production of food, and therefore, a sharp loss in the entitlement of a huge percentage of the population. Despite the size of the decline of food output and the loss of entitlement of large sections of the population, China could have done a much better job of protecting the vulnerable by sharing the shortage in a bearable way (Dreze & Sen, 1989). This famine was never reported in the public media as it went on for three years taking lives. The Chinese people also had no idea of the state of food production and distribution within their own country. 

In Kerala, there was widespread coverage of what was going on within the population. Public health services were involved in spreading the word to all to seek help and medical attention. It was the only state in India that the public food distribution was handled adequately. Kerala has a higher literacy rate than China; there seems to be a correlation with food distribution and gender bias. The importance of this linguistic uniformity and literacy expansion helped in coming up with innovative ways of distributing food and would be articulated in public policies. The innovative programs in the distribution of healthcare and food in Kerala have frequently followed articulated social and political demands (Dreze & Sen, 1986). 

Most countries and economies believe that the poor are an inconvenience to the rich, that is, their poverty is hurtful to the rest of the society. It is, therefore, important to consider both the poor and non-poor in this situation. The state of the poor directly affects the states of the rest of the society. Governments and agencies should find a middle ground on how to deal with both in a way that would not radically alter the balance of the society. Inequality and poverty are related in terms of entitlement. A sharp decrease in the amount of money that an individual owns leads to an increase in starvation as he/she will not be able to purchase enough food to eat (Sen, 1981). 

Identification and Aggregation of Poverty 

Poverty can be measured by identifying the poor and aggregating their poverty situations into a sum. The process of identification can be done by setting a bar for the minimum needs which would be a measure of poverty. An individual who does not satisfy, or who is not able to attain these needs is considered one who is suffering from poverty. The direct method can be used whereby the amount of food that an individual or a family takes is e numerated in baskets. The income method is another one used is to calculate the poverty line income and check the individuals who satisfy this criterion (Sen, 1981). The direct method is more beneficial as it not based on any assumptions about how the individuals spend their money. 

In the Bengal famine, there was an acute shortage of Burma rice due to the cyclone, flooding and fungal diseases. There was a serious shortage in the whole of Bengal compared to the normal supply that was available previously. The price shot up and this reduced entitlement to the non-rich residents of Bengal resulting in the death of about 1.5 million throughout the three phases of the famine (Sen, 1981). The increase in the price of the rice and hoarding of the available winter crops led to a sharp decrease in exchange entitlements. Individuals in Bengal decided to keep the expensive price and the prospective winter crop. There was the widespread exploratory purchase of rice stocks that led to price control being thrown aside. The embargo of exportation of cereals to and from the different provinces and uneven expansion in the incomes of the citizens also contributed to this sharp decrease in entitlement. 

In Sahel, there was a question on what may have caused the famine. There was low rainfall between 1968 and 1973. The agricultural and the pastoral economy were greatly affected by this drought; about 40-60% of domestic animals died during this period. This starvation hit its peak in 1973, with about 10,000 recorded casualties. There were relief operations from the international community; they helped with the provision of shelter, food, and medicine. The efficiency with which this distribution was done is questionable. There was reported discrimination in how these efforts were distributed. It is important to note that all Sahelian countries could prevent famine within their borders if the food was distributed equally (Sen, 1981). Nomads in these countries were the hardest hit by the famine due to their sharp decrease in entitlement; this is similar to the plight that the nomads and pastoralists in the Afar and Somali communities. 

Conclusion 

All countries must endeavor to provide to all its citizens and not rely on structured distribution programs that will ensure entitlement to all; which will, in turn, ensure that the food distribution network is widespread. The unemployed and unemployable should be given a minimum wage that would help them avoid starvation. Although droughts or other natural disasters cannot be prevented, policies can be put in place to deal with the effects of droughts and famine. Equal distribution of resources can help the government curb the deaths that are related to famine. 

References 

Dreze, J., & Sen, A. (1989).  Hunger and public action . Oxford University Press on Demand.

Sen, A. (1981).  Poverty and famines: an essay on entitlement and deprivation . Oxford university press.