MIDLANDS STATE UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

COURSE OUTLINE

PROGRAMME MASTER OF ARTS IN DEVELOPMENT STUDIES

MODULE CODE MADS 711

MODULE TITLE FAMINES AND FOOD SECURITY

DEFINITION

This course seeks to assist students to explore from a household and national perspective the causative agents of famine, hunger and food insecurity. Students will be encouraged to find out why some parts of the world experience hunger, yet the world has the capacity to produce food needed to eliminate hunger. Students will examine among other issues, theories of famine, the impacts on food security of, global warming and climatic variations, poverty, trade liberalization, historical legacies, population growth, health factors, democracy, conflicts etc. Gender issues with regards to food security will be covered at various points in the course. Students will also be introduced to methodologies to assist the prevention of household and community food insecurity crises, especially the Famine Early Warning Systems. To be covered also are the concepts of Food Aid and technological solutions (biotechnology) to the problems of food security. The last section examines the possible policies and interventions to mitigate famine and hunger and food insecurity in general. In this section students will among other issues be encouraged to assess the success of radical land reform in the developing world and Zimbabwe in particular in trying to improve the household and national food security.

INTRODUCTION

This section gives working definitions of the key concepts in the module

-definitions of, famine, hunger and food security.

-contemporary extent of famine

CAUSATIVE AGENTS OF FAMINE AND FOOD INSECURITY

This section explores in detail the causative agents of famine and food insecurity from the household to the national level.

-the theories of famines and the entitlement concept

-natural disasters associated with famine and food insecurity

-impact of global warming and climatic variations on food security

-poverty and food security

-health factors: especially impact of HIV/AIDS

-desertification

-lack of good governance/ issues of democracy

-foreign debt

-historical legacies and food security

-impact of conflicts

PREVENTIVE MEASURES

FAMINE EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS (FEWS)

This section seeks to expose students as much as possible to the concept of early warning systems, their design, significance and limitations in the prevention of famines.

-definition and types of EWS

-appropriate design of early warning systems: -the indicators

-significance of fews

-constraints on the effectiveness of early warning systems

-how to make them more effective.

TRADE AND FOOD SECURITY

International trade has been widely promoted by the developed world as a panacea to the food insecurity problem in the world. This section encourages students to critically examine the impact of trade especially international trade policies on food security in the developing world.

-the impact of globalisation of food markets on food security

-TNCs and the world food system

-trade policies of international organizations and institutions and food security (the IMF and World Bank, FAO, UNCTAD and EU.)

TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS OF FOOD SECURITY

This section affords students the opportunity to assess the successes of the technological innovations on improving food security.

-an analysis of the results of the Green Revolution in the developing world

-Biotechnology and agricultural development in the third world

-Genetically modified foods

-Are these technological innovations a solution to the world’s food security problems?

AID AND FOOD SECURITY IN THE DEVELOPING WORLD

This section explores the nature of food aid and the critical importance of how it’s delivered and whether it will alleviate or exacerbate food insecurity.

-form and amount of food aid

-the role of international NGOs in efforts to eliminate hunger

-criticisms of food aid: - Is it the way to go for the developing countries?

THE SEARCH FOR MORE APPROPRIATE STRATEGIES TO MITIGATE FOOD INSECURITY: POLICIES AND INTERVENTIONS

-a critical analysis of food policy for the 21st Century

-role of national governments

-empowering the rural population

-radical land reform: the case of Zimbabwe and other developing countries

-democracy/ good governance

-fair exchange

-appropriate technology

-other programs egg forestry etc.

FINAL EXAMINATIONS

3 hour paper.

READING LIST

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and C. Martin London, Earthscan Publications, 1990.

Buttel, F.H., “Biotechnology and Agricultural Development in the Third World” in H. Bernstein et al, (eds) The Food Question: Profits Versus People? 1990.

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Crow, B. “Moving the Lever: A New Food Aid Imperialism?” in H. Bernstein et.al, (eds) The Food Question: People Versus Profits?

London, Earthscan Publications Ltd, 1990.

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