ETYM French famine, from Latin fames hunger; cf. Skr. hâni loss, lack, hâ to leave.
General scarcity of food; dearth; a want of provisions; destitution.
Severe shortage of food affecting a large number of people. Almost 750 million people (equivalent to double the population of Europe) worldwide suffer from hunger and malnutrition. The food availability deficit (FAD) theory explains famines as being caused by insufficient food supplies. A more recent theory is that famines arise when one group in a society loses its opportunity to exchange its labor or possessions for food.
Most Western famine-relief agencies, such as the International Red Cross, set out to supply food or to increase its local production, rather than becoming involved in local politics. The FAD theory was challenged in the 1980s. Crop failures do not inevitably lead to famine; nor is it always the case that adequate food supplies are not available nearby. In 1990, for example, the Ethiopian air force bombed grain depots in a rebel-held area.