Demographic consequences of the 1984–1985 Ethiopian famine

Abstract

This article analyzes demographic responses to the 1984-1985 Ethiopian famine and compares them with Bongaarts and Cain's (1982) hypothesized responses. After briefly describing the data collection, I estimate the age distribution and the age-specific mortality and fertility rates of Ethiopian famine victims in a resettlement area and compare these with mortality estimates for the 1972-1973 Bangladesh famine and with fertility estimates from the 1981 Ethiopian demographic survey. The results show that the mortality rate among Ethiopian famine victims was about seven times higher than the rate among the Bangladesh victims and that the Ethiopian famine-related mortality was general and not a function of household socioeconomic variables. The data also show a 26 percent lower total fertility rate among famine victims.

Recent summer precipitation trends in the Greater Horn of Africa and the emerging role of Indian Ocean sea surface temperature

“…Variability in this SLP gradient during 1948-1988 corresponds with the multi-decade decline in precipitation across the Sahel and GHA, and also corresponds with interannual variations specific to the northern GHA. In particular, the devastating drought year of 1984, which led to the deaths of at least several hundreds of thousands of Ethiopians and Sudanese (De Waal 1989;Kidane 1989), is clearly indicated by a weak Sudan-Mediterranean SLP gradient (Fig. 5b).…”

Internal migration and household living conditions in Ethiopia

“…Ethiopia suffered one national famine in 1973-74 during which an estimated 250, 000 people died (Kidane, 1989). During the post revolutionary period, the country witnessed three major droughts (1977-78, 1987-1988, and 1993-1994) and a catastrophic national famine in 1984-1985(Webb and von Braun, 1994.…”

“…During the post revolutionary period, the country witnessed three major droughts (1977-78, 1987-1988, and 1993-1994) and a catastrophic national famine in 1984-1985(Webb and von Braun, 1994. The 1984-85 famine was the most catastrophic Ethiopia experienced in the 20 th century and reportedly more than a million people died (Kidane, 1989;Webb and von Braun, 1994). As part of its response to the famine, the Derg regime launched a massive national resettlement and villagization program intended to bring dispersed rural farmers from drought-prone areas in the north into concentrated farming cooperatives, mostly in western Ethiopia.…”

“…Ethiopia is one of the countries in Africa with a relatively high level of internal migration and population redistribution. This is associated with the country's economic transition from a socialist to a market-oriented economy, critical political changes since the 1970s through 1990s, and civil war and famine (Kiros and White, 2004;Berhanu and White, 2000;Kibreab, 1996;Kloos, 1992;Clapham, 1991;Kidane, 1989). Researchers have shown how the character, direction, and volume of migration in Ethiopia in the last two to three decades have been shaped by political instability, decline in the agricultural sector, and government resettlement policies of the 1980s, whose official objective was to prevent famine and attain food security (Gebre, 2001;Ezra, 2001).…”

More variable tropical climates have a slower demographic growth

“…In connection with flooding in 1974, Bangladesh lost about 2% of its population to famine (Caldwell & Caldwell 1992, Devereux 2002. Even more pronounced mortality rates (about 7 times higher than in Bangladesh) were found during the 1984-85 drought-related famine in northern Ethiopia (Kidane 1989). Demographic behaviours of Ethiopian rural communities have also been affected by environmental stress and food insecurity, with an increase in outmigration and a reduction in fertility (Ezra 2001).…”