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‘Maize is Life, but Rice is Money!’ A Village Case Study of the2001/02 Famine in Malawi

2011; Wiley; Volume: 11; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/j.1471-0366.2010.00289.x

1471-0366

Zoltán Tiba,

Agricultural risk and resilience

Journal of Agrarian ChangeVolume 11, Issue 1 p. 3-28 'Maize is Life, but Rice is Money!' A Village Case Study of the2001/02 Famine in Malawi ZOLTÁN TIBA, Corresponding Author ZOLTÁN TIBA Centre of African Studies, University of Cambridge, UKZoltán Tiba, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre of African Studies, University of Cambridge, Mond Building, Free School Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RF, UK. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author ZOLTÁN TIBA, Corresponding Author ZOLTÁN TIBA Centre of African Studies, University of Cambridge, UKZoltán Tiba, British Academy Postdoctoral Fellow, Centre of African Studies, University of Cambridge, Mond Building, Free School Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RF, UK. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author First published: 12 January 2011 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-0366.2010.00289.xCitations: 4 I would like to thank John Sender, Megan Vaughan, Pauline Peters, Harri Englund and the anonymous referees for their helpful comments on the earlier drafts of this paper. Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Abstract This paper provides a case study of the 2001/02 famine in Malawi from a village in the Southern Region of the country. Based on in-depth micro-level field research, it challenges some commonly accepted views about this crisis. The paper provides evidence that: (1) there was a serious 'famine' in the community; (2) the decline in food availability was not the major causal factor of the famine; (3) the early warning system in the rural areas was functioning appropriately and the famine did not happen in 'silence', unnoticed; (4) the food preferences of Malawians are not 'inflexible'; and (5) the famine, contrary to the claims of some of the 'new famine hypotheses', was less the consequence of underlying vulnerability and long-term social or economic trends but, rather, the result of an unexpected and sudden shock, which was generated by the exponential increase in the price of all food crops. REFERENCES ActionAid, 2002. Death by Starvation in Malawi: The Link Between Macro-economic and Structural Policies and the Agricultural Disaster in Malawi. London: ActionAid Policy Brief. Bryceson, D., 2006. 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