Breaking the Links Between Conflict and Hunger Redux

Abstract

This article revisits the authors' 1998 study on this topic (Messer, Cohen, & D'Costa, 1998). It employs a “food wars” framing to understand nutritional and political‐conflict status in countries experiencing protracted conflict‐related food crises and recent civil‐war situations that involve food insecurity. This framing includes typologies of conflict (pre‐conflict, active‐conflict, and post‐conflict) and food insecurity (food shortage, food poverty, food deprivation). It also incorporates related water‐sanitation‐and‐health and land‐grab issues that have multiplied since the early 2000s. Despite growing evidence of two‐way causal links between food insecurity and conflict, policy attention to these connections remains surprisingly modest. The article considers the implementation of recent major initiatives and programs aimed at addressing food insecurity–conflict links. It concludes by: (i) examining the implications for understanding and responding appropriately to recent Middle Eastern and North African conflict and hunger situations and (ii) offering recommendations for promoting sustainable food security and building peace in conflict countries.

Understanding the performance of food production in sub-Saharan Africa and its implications for food security

“…The impact of conflict on food production and food security has been documented by other studies. Messer et al (1998), for instance, estimated that food production in 13 war-torn SSA countries during 1970 production in 13 war-torn food security has been mpared to peace years. FAO study also estimated that conflict induced losses of agricultural output totalled $121 billion in real terms (or an average of $4.3 billion annually) during the period of 1970 to 1997 (FAO, 2000).…”

Two essays on foreign direct investment and food security in Nigeria: A mixed methods approach.

“…These perspectives influence the food security status of individuals as defined by the 1996 World Food Summit. These perspectives take the following into account when considering the causes of fluctuating food security/insecurity levels: the urbanization perspective (Maxwell, 1999;Matuschke, 2009); military-famine perspective (Messer, Cohen, & D'Costa, 1998;Scanlan, 2001a); and the techno-ecological perspective (Cohen, 1995;Harper, 1996). Understanding these perspectives is of vital importance in gaining an understanding of the causes of food security in Nigeria.…”

“…Many scholars have made the argument for the military famine perspective to be taken into account as a cause of food security because it emphasizes the lack of resources that insure access to adequate food (De Soya & Gleditsch, 1999;Macrae & Zwi, 1994;Messer, Cohen & D'Costa, 1998). Military famine perspective argues that militarism and violent conflict undermines a households' ability to attain food security.…”

“…Famine and food insecurity are not processes likened only to drought or other natural disasters, but instead are a result of human induced catastrophe that put populations at risk, most notably children, ethnic minorities, and the poor (Bennett, 1987). "Food wars" are conflicts that involve widespread food insecurity that results from the struggle in which hunger has been used as a weapon of war to weaken opposition forces (Messer et al, 1998). Some have argued that military rule, coup, repression, and war can negatively affect food supply and dramatically disrupt food security.…”

“…Some have argued that military rule, coup, repression, and war can negatively affect food supply and dramatically disrupt food security. Foreign investments may be cut-off, trade may cease, food production could be altered, land mines may hinder farmers from planting or harvesting, or individuals may be actively involved in a war rather than productively growing food (Messer et al, 1998). Others' point to the tenuous relationship between military rule and the well-being of a state, emphasizing the potential for repression in the allocation of state resources (Wolpin, 1983).…”