How can famines be prevented?

               Prior to the war with Eritrea the Ethiopian government had made great strides to improving the country with very limited recourses.  In the fight against famine they had stored thousands of tones of grain to enable an immediate reaction to food shortages, however, stocks were depleted due to them being redirected to the army.  Projects to build dams along some of its main rivers which would not only have helped in times of low rains but with irrigation and droughts were abandoned. War impacts the economy reducing the labor force by subscripting able boded men; monies are also being diverted away from feeding the hungry to buying expensive war materials. For these governments who continually engage in war and witness death so frequently it is difficult for them to become sensitive to their people dying from hunger.  Every penny spent on war means one less for development programs and strategic policies to combat and prevent famines.

               Ethiopia is not a dessert and has abundant natural resources to not only produce sufficient food but import and export diverse agricultural goods.  In the prevention of famine the issue of land tenure must be addressed because of its relationship with poverty.  Under the present system, peasants do not have the right to own land this can only cause insecurity and a lack of investment.  These lacks of democracy and unaccountability by the government under this feudal land system have left peasants powerless. Government control means that peasants who constitute 85% of the population cannot voice any opinions or oppose policies that are detrimental to them. The distribution of small plots with the growth of the population puts a great strain on subsistence farming making investment pointless. Land ownership will encourage peasants to invest in their land enabling them to use it as a commodity to access credit and loans encouraging much needed foreign investment.   Privatization of the land would also encourage cultural integration that could lend to peace, but more worrying is the fact that it would also ask for transparency within the government.  The government needs to give democracy a chance in the fight against famine.

               There is a lot of information on the causes and impacts of famines and there are criticisms towards the use of   Early Warning System for many reasons, one being that better use should be made of data that already exists.  According to Murton There seems to be a need for more clarity with EWS as questions are raised as to what is early? Who is being warned? What are the best indicators for these warnings? With respect EWS should forewarn national decision makers of food shortages as well as donors of impending demands on their food aid. The various organizations for example metrology would rely on the climate for their early indicator of possible problems and the Ministry of Agriculture would look at its crop yields as its early warning indicator. It is beneficial that the indicators are varied throughout the different organizations and this should not be a hindrance because it means with communication that they can rely and depend on each other.

               In general developing countries seem to fall into the gap between theories and practice this is not the fault of the various concepts at work but a failing to be consistent, systematic and creative.  With little resources it is difficult for governments to keep development on track but for the love of their people and humanity first and foremost transparency is needed. Rural economical growth is the key to preventing famine with short-term policies stabilizing food production for example drought resistant crops and small-scale irrigation programs.  Labor-intensive projects that provide employment can be paid in such a way that only attracts the poor.  When so many in the international community are lobbying for the cancellation of third world debt allegations of corruption, war and misuse of aid distorts opinions. Early warning systems are essential and contribute to a strategic plan to eradicate hunger. Peasants on the household level who observe climate changes and assess information given by rural travelers are also using `traditional` early warning systems.  With the effects of globalization developing countries have difficulty competing on the open markets, exports to generate cash to fund and improve industry and agricultural technology may prove slow. However, food storage on a national level can go some way to alleviating hunger in poor productive areas in order to avoid the onset of famine.