History of Hunger - any implications for current research?

Dr. Andrea Fadani Foundation fiat panis

Rich and poor or Peace and war, Flandern, 1600, Collection Museum of Bread Culture

Hunger

Hohenheim 1818

China 1958 - 1962

Ireland 1848 Ancient Egypt

France 1789 Europe 1315-17

Definition Hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and social science, hunger is a condition in which a person, for a sustained period, is unable to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs.

World Hunger Index 2014

Global map presenting hidden hunger index based on the prevalence estimates (HHI-PD) in 149 countries and prevalence of low urinary iodine concentration

in 90 countries with 2007 Human Development Index

The magnitude of hunger

1945: half of world population is chronically undernourished (World population: 2,5 billion people) 1960: World population 3 billion people, 35% chronically undernourished 2000: 840 million people chronically undernourished (=14% of total world population. 6 billion people) 2014: 805 million people chronically undernourished (=11% of total world population. 7.2 billion people)

Conclusion I:

Hunger is as big as history!

Ancient Egypt

Bread of

the Pharaos

Tomb Thebes 1400 B.C.

Servant model of a grinding man, 2500 – 2000 B.C., Collection Museum of Bread Culture

„During my reign the nile was seven years not flooding the land. The grains are scarce und food is missing. […] The warehouses are empty. Everthing is ending.“ Amenophis III. (1413-1365 b. Chr.)

Nicolas Chapron after Raffael „Joseph interprets Pharaos dreams “, Table 28 from: Sacrae Historiae Acta a Raphaele Urbin in Vaticanis Xystis ad Picturae Miraculum, Rom, 1649, Collection Museum of Bread Culture

Jan de Bisschop after Bartholomaeus Breenbergh „Joseph selling grains “, 1650, Collection Museum of Bread Culture

Impact of famines in ancient Egypt

• water supply by Nile and the resulting agricultural production created the civilization

• extremely dependence on the floods from Nile river • low floods caused distress, famine, plague and

civil unrest in Egypt • simple measure was to store food for years to

overcome cyclical fluctuations of Nile floods

Europe 1315-17

14. Century

• transition from the medieval warm period to the little ice age

• Black Death kills around a third of the population of Europe (1347–1351)

• Hundred Years' War begins when Edward III of England lays claim to the French throne (1337 – 1453)

• Foundation of Prague University (1348), Wien University (1365), Heidelberg University (1386), Köln University (1388), Erfurt University (1392)

Biblia Pauperum, Erfurt , ca. 1320

Recorded famines in France: 1304, 1305, 1310, 1315–1317 (the Great Famine), 1330–1334, 1349–1351, 1358–1360, 1371, 1374–1375 1390

Impact of famines in 14. century

• caused millions of deaths over an extended number of years

• end the period of growth and prosperity from the eleventh to thirteenth centuries

• life expectancy drop from 35.28 years (1276), to 29.84 years (between 1301 and 1325) to 17.33 years (between 1348 and 1375)

• Response in development: little or none

France 1789

Hohenheim 1818

Ireland 1848

Famine Memorial in Dublin

Phytophthora infestans (Potato blight)

Potato Production in Ireland 1844 - 1857

Impact of the Great Famine in Ireland

• estimated 1 million people died • Two million people emigrated from Ireland • Massive debate about British „Corn laws“ • Food for work program • Charity: „Temporary Relief Act” also known

as the “Soup Kitchen Act” • 1880 agricultural research proved spraying

copper sulfate as effective way against potato blight

“The Almighty, indeed, sent the potato blight, but the English created the Famine.”

3 November 1815 – 20 March 1875

China 1958 -1962

Great Leap Forward

• economic and social campaign by the Communist Party of China from 1958 to 1961

• campaign was led by Mao Zedong • aimed to rapidly transform the country from

an agrarian economy into a communist society through rapid industrialization and collectivization

• the campaign caused the Great Chinese Famine

Brave the wind and the waves, everything has remarkable abilities, 1958

Start the movement to increase production and practice thrift, with foodstuffs and steel at the center, with great force!, 1960

Small scale steel production in China, 1958

Great Leap Forward famine death estimates

Deaths (millions)

Author(s) Year

23 Peng 1987

27 Coale 1984

30 Ashton, et al. 1984

30 Banister 1987

30 Becker 1996

32.5 Cao 2005

36 Yang 2008

38 Chang and Halliday

2005

38 Rummel 2008

42 minimum Dikötter 2010

43 to 46 Chen 1980

Impact of the Great Famine in China

• wide range of estimation regarding died people

• Mao and the Communist Party knew that some of their policies were contributing to the starvation.

• Mao stated 1959: "When there is not enough to eat people starve to death. It is better to let half of the people die so that the other half can eat their fill.“

• Agricultural reforms in 1978

China and food production today

• Successful reform process since 1978 • Lester Brown „Who will feed China“, 1994 • Rural poverty vs. urban wealth in China • Massive environmental problems • Critical issue: food safety • But China has today massive financial

resources to purchase food on the world markets

Revolution of Dignity

Martin Bureau „Jasmine Revolution in Tunesien”, January 18th, 2011 © AFP

Casulties regarding to Food Price Index

History is repeating itself!

Conclusion II: To reduce hunger we should: - Put into power democratic organized societies - Influence public policy to support poor people - Investments in research - Humanitarian action - Connecting small farmers to markets - First 1,000 days (Nourishing children with the right

foods at the right time is an investment in the future) - Empowering women - …..

We should not allow that history is repeated!

History of Hunger - any implications for current research?

Dr. Andrea Fadani Foundation fiat panis

Rich and poor or Peace and war, Flandern, 1600, Collection Museum of Bread Culture