Case Study: Famine (SL IB Geography)

• The Horn of Africa is the region in East Africa
• The famine began in this area in 2011, affecting Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia 
• It affected roughly 13 million people in the region 
• Roughly 250,000 people died in Somalia
• 50% of these were children under the age of five years old
• As of 2023, another acute famine is predicted to arrive 

Map of the Horn of Africa

IPC scale

• The IPC scale (Integrated Food Security Phase Classification) measures how severe a famine is 
• In 2011, parts of East Africa, e.g. Somalia, hit phase 5, a catastrophe
• Other areas, like Kenya, hit phase 3+, where urgent action is required

IPC scale

Causes of the famine 

Drought

• Drought was one of the major culprits of the 2011 famine 
• The area experienced very low rainfall over several years, leading to extreme drought
• This meant crop growth was impossible 

INERT IMAGE HERE

Map of drought-affected areas in 2011 at the Horn of Africa 

Conflict

• Parts of the Horn of Africa were experiencing conflict, e.g. in Somalia 
• The Siad Barre regime was removed from power in 1991 
• Since then, there has been no leading government, causing conflict
• For years, the country has been riddled with Civil War
• Fighting caused damage to crops 
• The Al-Shabaab militant group began to rise to power 
  • This group caused a blockade of food aid during the famine
  • Al-Shabaab controlled certain areas, where aid was not allowed in 
  • Killed aid workers  
• Displaced people migrated to Kenya, as a result of the conflict

Poverty

• The countries in the Horn of Africa were already suffering under extreme poverty 
• Farmers don’t have access to technologies which may increase productivity
• High population rates and regular food shortages are a recipe for disaster 
• Food prices increased massively in 2011, like corn and maize
  • This was a result of decreased food supply globally 
  • The land was used for the growth of biofuel instead of food e.g. US corn ethanol 

Responses

• The response to the crisis was incredibly slow, roughly 6 months
  • Some donors wanted to see evidence of the crisis, rather than trying to stop it from happening
  • Early warning systems detected the crisis in 2010
  • By 2011, malnutrition was high
• Oxfam funding appeal:
  • Oxfam worked to bring people and emergency support to the area
  • Raised over $100 million 
• The UN World Food Programme (WFP), the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) supported relief efforts
• Funds from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) were funnelled into food aid and other vital areas e.g vaccination and sanitation