case study: a country or region suffering from food shortages

•case study: South Sudan 

•seriousness of Sudan's food shortage 

          •4 million / 40% short of food in South Sudan  

          •70,000 died from hunger and diseases during the civil war 

          •aid workers stopped WFP assistance as it was too dangerous 

•physical factors - how drought and soil degradation have contributed to food shortages

          •long-term decline of rainfall

          •increased use of marginal land leading to degradation 

          •drought is the main reason as it lies 15 degrees North of the equator 

          •difficult to reach - too boggy 

          •pests and bad weather failed crops 

          •diseased water - cholera and typhoid contracted 

          •prolonged drought means poor ground, with inflation of food prices 

•social factors - poor health and population growth 

          •high population growth - 3% a year worsens marginal land 

          •high population leads to overgrazing and land erosion 

          •high IMR due to AIDS threat 53 deaths per 1000

          •female illiteracy (65%) 

•political / economic factors 

          •has to import from Uganda - double the price

          •high military spending $1bn 

          •limited access to buy food or infrastructure to distribute it due to the 50 year civil war

          •high dependency on farming (70% of workforce) for income 

          •conflict in Dafur reduces food production and distribution, reducing availability and inflating prices 

          •after splitting, the South is much poorer than the North

          •lack of government and political will 

          •bombings threaten border communities e.g. Nuba Mountains 

          •war has undermined agricultural production in South Sudan

          

•solutions to Sudan’s food shortages

          •UN food programme delivers food

          •Red Cross Emergency relief air drops food

          •FAO project - rehabilitates those flooded on the Malarial river and improves watermelon growth along the river Nile

          •holds camps teaching women fish preservation, even using bones to create soup