Search

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS TOPIC?: There is mounting evidence indicating that the aging process initiates during early life stages, with in utero the individuals environment playing a significant role. Consequently, it is crucial to comprehend the enduring effects of early life circumstances on health in old age. WHAT IS ADDED BY THIS REPORT?: In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effects of the Chinese Famine (1959-1961) on the health of older adults. We also explored potential mechanisms underlying these effects. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PUBLIC HEALTH PRACTICE?: The complex interplay between early life circumstances, multiple health-related sectors, and healthy aging necessitates a comprehensive life-course approach and strategic interventions to enhance public health in an aging society.

Over the past decade, famine and food insecurity have increased, yet there have been few articles with a critical analysis of their social and political dynamics. This special issue of Disasters aims to revive such analysis and to provide new insights. The special issue contains eight articles, with topics ranging from the role of global politics and neoliberal strategies, to sanctions, war, settler‐colonialism, elite capture and inequalities, actions of resistance and resilience, and the challenges of famine prevention in today's global political context. The papers provide both global and local analysis, with the latter covering Kashmir, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, and Syria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the world has faced a rapid rise in humanitarian needs and an increasing risk of famine. Given the potential threats posed by conflict, climate change, economic shocks, and other issues, it is important to be prepared for the possibility of new crises in the future. Drawing on key informant interviews and a literature review, this paper assesses the state of the art in famine prevention, examining a range of technical and political approaches and analysing emerging lessons. Based on the findings, it identifies five levels of famine prevention: (i) averting famine; (ii) anticipating famine; (iii) reducing famine risks; (iv) altering famine risks; and (v) preventing famine risks. The paper argues that the current focus only partially addresses a relatively narrow set of levels. It concludes that a more comprehensive approach that engages all five levels simultaneously could contribute to a global famine prevention framework for the twenty‐first century and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precise estimates of the impact of famine on infant and child mortality are rare due to lack of representative data. Using vital statistics reports on the Netherlands for 1935–47, we examine the impact of the Dutch famine (November 1944 to May 1945) on age-specific mortality risk and cause of death in four age groups (stillbirths, <1 year, 1–4, 5–14) in the three largest famine-affected cities and the remainder of the country. Mortality during the famine is compared with the pre-war period January 1935 to April 1940, the war period May 1940 to October 1944, and the post-war period June 1945 to December 1947. The famine's impact was most visible in infants because of the combined effects of a high absolute death rate and a threefold increase in proportional mortality, mostly from gastrointestinal conditions. These factors make infant mortality the most sensitive indicator of famine severity in this setting and a candidate marker for comparative use in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A mother in Israel invited other mothers to cook and eat their children? The story in full appears in 2 Kings 6.24—7.20. The passage is essentially about the siege of Samaria by the Syrian army. It includes tales about the siege of Samaria, cannibalism, the unbelief of a centurion, and four lepers. Although the section on cannibalism is mentioned only momentarily, it has become controversial and has captured the attention of Bible readers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Childhood unexpected trauma casts a lifelong shadow on subsequent financial behaviours. The existing literature has mainly investigated stock or bond market participation, and few scholars focus on insurance decisions. Our paper enriches previous studies by testing the impact of childhood famine exposure on household life insurance demand in middle and older age groups. Using CHARLS, we discover that householders exposed to the 1959–1961 Great Chinese Famine as children were more inclined to own life insurance policies and pay higher premiums. Specifically, respondents who experienced the famine between 0–2 or 7–17 years old highly promoted their life insurance demand, whereas no statistically significant effects were observed for preschool famine experience. Additionally, women and people with three or more children were more likely to be influenced by the famine. Finally, risk and time preference were effective mediation factors, both channelling around 5% of the relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1867–1868 northern Sweden suffered from a famine that has not gained much scholarly interest. Here we study how this famine was relieved in Västerbotten county. We use unique regional and local administrative sources alongside other contemporary reports. Our results show that the relief quantities coming into Västerbotten county were significant, in proportion to the size of the population, the depth of the harvest failure, and in relation to historical state aid. In addition, we reveal the complex interplay between the state, market, and civil society that, at least on the county level, contributed to a seemingly efficient administration for alleviating the effects of harvest failure. However, our results point to bottlenecks in the administration of relief at the local municipal level, which call for further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the politics of famine is crucial to understanding why famines still occur. A key part of this is how famine is remembered, understood, and discussed. This paper focuses on songs popular among communities that have recently experienced deadly famine. Contemporary famines almost always manifest in armed conflict contexts, where there is limited political freedom. Here, songs and music can be an important way to debate sensitive political issues. This paper focuses on the way that songs and music shape ‘regimes of truth’ around famine, and who is shamed and held accountable for associated suffering. It is based on long‐term ethnographic research, the recordings of famine‐related songs, and collaborative analysis in Jonglei and Warrap States (South Sudan) in 2021–24. The paper shows how songs can mock soldiers for their seizing of assets during times of hunger and how they can create familial shame for famine suffering, shifting responsibility away from the real causes to family members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Skyrocketing commodity prices and conflict‐induced mass hunger in recent years have resuscitated discussions about why famines frequently reoccur in specific spaces of vulnerability. Intervention efforts still too often isolate food (in)security from its interwovenness in the political economy of water and energy and from the role of ideas in forging these interconnections across long time periods. Using (South) Sudanese history to rethink the causes of recurrent food insecurity, we underscore the need to analyse how political elites imagine the role of the water–energy–food nexus and associated environmental narratives in consolidating power. South Sudan's 2011 secession (from Sudan) marked the culmination of a struggle against a state that insurgents regarded as having starved its citizens. However, since independence, its leaders have replicated the nostrum they once combatted: Sudanese resources must ‘feed the world’. A fixation with inserting water, energy, and food resources into global markets infuses their strategy, even if such an approach will not engender food abundance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The resurgence of famines is a topic of concern. This paper explains the recent trajectory using the framework of contending ‘global war economies’. It characterises the unipolar neoliberal world order era (1986–2015) as the ‘Pax Americana’ war economy, focusing on the United States dollar's roles. These were the decades of the liberal imperium, the corporate food regime, and counterinsurgent coalitions, which generated structural vulnerability to food crises and reduced the actual incidence and lethality of famine. The paper characterises the subsequent period (2016 onwards) as the challenge of the BRICS club, focusing on its efforts to rewrite the global political economy's rules, proactively hedging among diversifying currency regimes. This entails a scramble to secure strategic commodities and infrastructure in subaltern countries, which is intensifying conflict and food insecurity, and revising international norms in favour of reasserting sovereign rights. The global political–economic contestation and, especially, the associated normative regression are permissive of political and military triggers of famine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article studies the state-induced famine of 1932-1933 in Soviet Ukraine as a public health crisis and explores the interplay between medical ethics and medical practices. As state employees and agents of the state, medical professionals participated in organization of the healthcare system and construction of a new, Soviet society. Among other spheres, the revolutionary change concerned medical ethics. Officially, pre-Soviet principles of professional ethics were rejected, and new ethical concepts were determined by class interest and class consciousness. The rapid industrialization, forced collectivization and food requisitions and seizure of the late 1920 and early 1930s resulted in the catastrophic famine and deaths of millions of Soviet citizens. Ukraine was one of the most affected regions, and the explosive spread of epidemic diseases followed mass starvation. In their efforts to cope with this crisis and stop the spread of epidemics from the countryside to urban centres, the authorities imposed disciplinary public health orders that resulted in the intensification of state violence, and hundreds of thousands of rural and urban dwellers were treated by medical professionals. The article examines the role of Soviet medical professionals and their entanglement with ethical discourse and medical practice during the famine of 1932–1933. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Early-life exposure to famine may influence the occurrence of chronic diseases and aging in midlife among those exposed. This study aims to explore the relationship between exposure to the Chinese Great Famine and aging in middle-aged individuals. Methods Participants born in 1963–1965 (unexposed), 1959–1961 (in utero exposure), and 1955–1957 (childhood exposure) from the Kailuan Study were included. Their biological age at 2010, 2014, and 2018 was investigated, and age acceleration (biological age minus actual age) was calculated to assess aging. Logistic regression analysis was employed to describe the relationship between famine exposure and the aging risk. Subgroup and sensitivity analysis were conducted to explore differences and stability in this relationship among different groups. Results A total of 17,543 participants were included in this study. Among them, 12,762 (72.7%) were male, and 4,781 (27.3%) were female, with 2,543 participants experiencing aging events. Compared to unexposed participants, those exposed during childhood and in utero exhibited a 1.69-fold (OR = 1.69, 95%CI: 1.53–1.87) and 1.22-fold (OR = 1.22, 95%CI: 1.08–1.37) increased risk of aging. Subgroup analysis revealed an interaction with income (P for interaction = 0.008), and additional interaction analysis suggested that increasing income could partially mitigate the detrimental effects of early-life famine exposure. Furthermore, experiencing famine in severely affected regions exacerbated the risk of aging (OR = 1.41, 95%CI: 1.21–1.63). Conclusion Exposure to famine in utero or during childhood may elevate the risk of midlife aging among exposed individuals, and these relationships are influenced by the severity of famine exposure. Increasing income may also help mitigate these effects. Trial registration: Kailuan study, ChiCTRTNRC11001489. Registered July 19, 2015 Retrospectively registered, https//www.chictr.org.cn/showprojEN.html?proj=8050&u_atoken=af46a0dee8d73f320bb5459ab7bbcfa9&u_asig=1a0c381017255295896468605e00cf .

The article examines Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch's Winterkill (2022), a recent Holodomor middle-grade historical novel issued by Scholastic, and showcases that Skrypuch explores the implicated position of North Americans – especially Soviet collaborators and journalists – in the context of the famine and Stalin's collectivization. Most notably, Winterkill brings attention to the actions of Rhea Clyman, a Jewish-Canadian journalist who wrote factual articles about the situation in the Soviet Union but until the mid-2010s was largely forgotten. In the first part of the article, the author briefly introduces the historical background and points to the recent increase of Holodomor-themed Anglophone books. Then, close reading Winterkill, they argue that many characters in the novel, including the ones based on Clyman and Alice, a Ukrainian Canadian girl she met in Kharkiv in 1932, emerge as what Michael Rothberg has called "implicated subjects." The article demonstrates that at first the foreigners in the novel are enchanted with Stalinism, accept its benefits, and their actions – directly and indirectly – contribute to the destruction of the Ukrainian countryside. Winterkill showcases both the importance of recognizing one's implication and sharing the testimony of the Holodomor witnesses, hence keeping the memory of the famine and its victims alive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background Exposure to famine in the prenatal period is associated with an increased risk of metabolic disease, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. We employed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomic profiling to identify the metabolic changes that are associated with survival of prenatal famine exposure during the Dutch Famine at the end of World War II and subsequently assess their link to disease. Methods NMR metabolomics data were generated from serum in 480 individuals prenatally exposed to famine (mean 58.8 years, 0.5 SD) and 464 controls (mean 57.9 years, 5.4 SD). We tested associations of prenatal famine exposure with levels of 168 individual metabolic biomarkers and compared the metabolic biomarker signature of famine exposure with those of 154 common diseases. Results Prenatal famine exposure was associated with higher concentrations of branched-chain amino acids ((iso)-leucine), aromatic amino acid (tyrosine), and glucose in later life (0.2–0.3 SD, p

Purpose – After the fall of Burma on 10 March 1942 the British government extensively implemented scorched-earth policies in Bengal like denial of rice and boats. The British government had inadequate defense equipment to resist Japanese attack in Bengal. After the Japanese invasion supply of Burmese rice suddenly stopped. Faridpur district used to import rice from Burma. The Burmese conquest created an immediate and serious crisis for several rice imported districts and coastal districts of Bengal. Hence, none of the districts of East Bengal could escape its brutal clutches and severity recorded in Chittagong, Dhaka, Faridpur, Tripura, Noakhali, Bakargonj and so on. Design/methodology/approach – Among the affected districts of Bengal, Faridpur has been chosen as study area due to severity of famine. This study addresses the famine scenario of Faridpur. Data has been collected from primary and secondary sources. Content Analysis Research method is used to test reliability and validity of the data. Historical Analysis Research method has been followed in this study. Findings – Finding of the study shows that the government relief issues, ignorance of warnings, political nepotism and denial policy of British government intensified the famine of Faridpur district. The wartime tactics adopted by the colonial government aggravated the famine situation. This article has shed light on the government war time policy, activity and some impacts of British decline in Burma that fueled the famine in Faridpur district. Originality/value – This study is my original research work and has not been published else where.

We examine the impacts of war and siege on farmers' livelihoods in Tigray (2020–2022), Ethiopia, through field observations during the crisis, and a literature review. We found military tactics and activities alongside institutional changes were the main pathways driving famine among vulnerable farming communities through destruction of crops, damage to property, and slaughter of livestock. Moreover, farmers were deprived of access to alternative sources of livelihood such as beekeeping, traditional gold mining, and seasonal migration. Notably, absence of freedom of movement and withdrawal of national and international aid organizations limited the farmers' survival options. The crisis also aggravated the pre-war food insecurity in the area. We argue that economic rehabilitation must be accompanied by the building of a durable peace as soon as possible to restore sustainable livelihoods for farming communities in Tigray. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we present a machine‐learning model capable of predicting food insecurity in the Horn of Africa, which is one of the most vulnerable regions worldwide. The region has frequently been affected by severe droughts and food crises over the last several decades, which will likely increase in future. Therefore, exploring novel methods of increasing early warning capabilities is of vital importance to reducing food‐insecurity risk. We present a XGBoost machine‐learning model to predict food‐security crises up to 12 months in advance. We used >20 data sets and the FEWS IPC current‐situation estimates to train the machine‐learning model. Food‐security dynamics were captured effectively by the model up to 3 months in advance (R2 > 0.6). Specifically, we predicted 20% of crisis onsets in pastoral regions (n = 96) and 20%–50% of crisis onsets in agro‐pastoral regions (n = 22) with a 3‐month lead time. We also compared our 8‐month model predictions to the 8‐month food‐security outlooks produced by FEWS NET. Over a relatively short test period (2019–2022), results suggest the performance of our predictions is similar to FEWS NET for agro‐pastoral and pastoral regions. However, our model is clearly less skilled in predicting food security for crop‐farming regions than FEWS NET. With the well‐established FEWS NET outlooks as a basis, this study highlights the potential for integrating machine‐learning methods into operational systems like FEWS NET. Plain Language Summary: In the face of increasing droughts and food crises, this study explored the use of machine learning to provide predictions of food crises in the Horn of Africa, up to 12 months in advance. We used an algorithm called "XGBoost," which we fed with over 20 data sets of potential food security drivers. After training the model, we found that food security dynamics were accurately predicted up to 3 months in advance, especially in pastoral and agro‐pastoral regions. The model accurately predicted 20% of crisis onsets in pastoral areas and 20%–50% in agro‐pastoral regions with a 3‐month lead time. In agro‐pastoral and pastoral regions, our machine learning algorithm showed a similar performance to the established early warning system from FEWS NET. The machine‐learning model did not show good performance in crop‐farming areas. Nonetheless, this study underscores the potential of integrating machine‐learning methods into existing operational systems like FEWS NET. By doing so, it paves the way for improved early warning capabilities, crucial in mitigating the looming threat of food insecurity in the Horn of Africa. Key Points: A machine‐learning model is presented to predict food‐security crises in the Horn of AfricaThe model demonstrates high overall performance, and performs similarly to FEWS NET outlooks in the (agro‐) pastoral regionsThis study can be utilized to integrate machine learning into existing early warning systems, thereby creating hybrid solutions for the future [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the echoes that resonate in the present of the embodied memories of the Spanish Hunger Years (1939–1952) during the post-war period of Franco's dictatorship. More specifically, it analyses both the bodily and mental effects of those traumatic memories on the survivors' subsequent dietary practices and their perceptions of the socio-political reality. For this purpose, the study relies on the first-hand personal memories of those who were children during the 1940s. It is argued that there are continuities between these embodied memories and the eating habits of the survivors and their attitudes towards subsequent periods of prosperity and crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Exposure to famine in the prenatal period is associated with an increased risk of metabolic disease, including obesity and type 2 diabetes. We employed nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) metabolomic profiling to identify the metabolic changes that are associated with survival of prenatal famine exposure during the Dutch Famine at the end of World War II and subsequently assess their link to disease. Methods: NMR metabolomics data were generated from serum in 480 individuals prenatally exposed to famine (mean 58.8 years, 0.5 SD) and 464 controls (mean 57.9 years, 5.4 SD). We tested associations of prenatal famine exposure with levels of 168 individual metabolic biomarkers and compared the metabolic biomarker signature of famine exposure with those of 154 common diseases. Results: Prenatal famine exposure was associated with higher concentrations of branched-chain amino acids ((iso)-leucine), aromatic amino acid (tyrosine), and glucose in later life (0.2–0.3 SD, p < 3 × 10−3). The metabolic biomarker signature of prenatal famine exposure was positively correlated to that of incident type 2 diabetes from the UK Biobank (r = 0.77, p = 3 × 10−27), also when re-estimating the signature of prenatal famine exposure among individuals without diabetes (r = 0.67, p = 1 × 10−18). Remarkably, this association extended to 115 common diseases for which signatures were available (0.3 ≤ r ≤ 0.9, p < 3.2 × 10−4). Correlations among metabolic signatures of famine exposure and disease outcomes were attenuated when the famine signature was adjusted for body mass index. Conclusions: Prenatal famine exposure is associated with a metabolic biomarker signature that strongly resembles signatures of a diverse set of diseases, an observation that can in part be attributed to a shared involvement of obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: The PELICan hypothesis speaks to the role of perinatal and early life stressors (including malnutrition) in the causation of young-onset cancers. To date, there is no evidence correlating perinatal malnutrition and the risk of young-onset cancer. The Great Famine of China was a significant event in human history. The present study compared the incidence of young-onset cancers in individuals born during and just after the famine to those born prior to the famine. Perinatal exposure to famine, especially in females, was associated with a higher risk of young-onset cancer. This was particularly evident for young-onset genitourinary cancers. Background/Objectives: Perinatal exposure to malnutrition has been hypothesised to influence the development of young-onset cancer (≤50 years of age). This study aimed to determine if perinatal malnutrition in individuals exposed to the Great Famine of China increased their risk of developing young-onset cancer compared to other individuals born prior to the famine. Subjects/Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 7272 participants from the China Health and Nutrition Survey who were classified into four groups based on birth year: participants born between 1953 and 1955 (before the famine) were designated as the pre-famine group (unexposed); the remainder formed perinatal exposure groups comprised of those exposed during the famine (1959–1961), those exposed in the early post-famine period (1962–1964), and those exposed in the late post-famine period (1965–1967). Multivariable adjusted log-binomial regression models were used to calculate the RR and 95% CI of young-onset cancer (including genitourinary cancer) across four groups. Results: Perinatal exposure to early post-famine (RR 2.08; 95%CI 1.04, 4.34; p = 0.043) and the female sex (RR 15.6, 95%CI 4.54, 60.3; p < 0.001) were noted to have a significantly increased risk of young-onset cancer. In addition, the early (RR 13.8; 95%CI 2.68, 253; p = 0.012) and late post-famine (RR 12.3; 95%CI 2.16, 231; p = 0.020) cohorts demonstrated a significantly increased risk of young-onset genitourinary cancer. The latter was accompanied by an increased risk of hypertension (RR 3.30; 95%CI 1.28, 7.87; p = 0.009). Conclusions: Perinatal exposure to famine, especially in females, was associated with a higher risk of young-onset cancer. This was particularly evident for young-onset genitourinary cancers. These findings highlight the potential long-term impact of perinatal malnutrition on young-onset carcinogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is devoted to the study of historical and demographic aspects of famine in Kazakhstan between 1921 and 1923. The victims of the famine numbered in the deaths of thousands and caused irreparable losses. The purpose of the article is to conduct a historical and comparative analysis of the demographic consequences of famine. The research tasks include a comparative analysis of famine using archival documents, census materials and statistical data. In addition, the method of demographic analysis of the consequences of the famine, the scale of the damage and their impact on the life of the indigenous population of the republic will be applied. The distinctive feature of the research methodology is the systematization of statistical data on famine in various dimensions and modules. The findings of the study showed that the use of a comparative method to study the demographic consequences of famine contributes to a deeper study of this topic. The results obtained through qualitative analysis using statistical data served as an empirical basis for compiling a more complete demographic picture of famine in the 1920s of the 20th century in Kazakhstan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The risk of famine is rising in many countries today. Bold changes to famine information and response systems are urgently needed to improve capacities to prevent famine. To this end, the paper identifies six insights from social‐ecological systems (SES) thinking for understanding and preventing famine. It argues that a state of famine emerges from human–environment interdependencies, complex causality, and non‐linear system dynamics, shaped by history and context. The likelihood of famine can be reduced by strengthening resilience to the diverse stresses and shocks that drive destitution, food insecurity, undernutrition, morbidity, and mortality. SES thinking offers new opportunities to understand the dynamics of famine, diagnose lesser‐known drivers, pinpoint new metrics, ascertain leverage points for intervention, and develop conceptual frameworks to inform policy. SES concepts and methods could also support the development of practical analytical tools to guide decisionmakers on how, where, and when to intervene most effectively and efficiently to strengthen resilience to the drivers of famine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the human toll of the 1944–1945 famine in Java, Indonesia's main island. It estimates birth and death rates for the Indonesian population in Java during 1941–1951. Using the net population loss method, the article approximates a net loss of 3.3 million people during the 1942–1945 Japanese occupation period. This includes 1.8 million excess deaths; 0.7 million during 1944 and 1.1 million during 1945. The remainder are 1.4 million missing births in 1944 and 1945, associated with the malnutrition of women of childbearing ages and physical separation of wives from husbands recruited by Japanese authorities for forced labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate whether early-life exposure to the Great Famine of 1959–1961 in China was associated with the risk of digestive system cancer. The prospective cohort study involved 17 997 participants from the Kailuan Study (Tangshan, China) that began in 2006. All participants were divided into three groups based on their date of birth. The unexposed group (born from 1 October 1962 to 30 September 1964), fetal-exposed group (born from 1 October 1959 to 30 December 1961), and early-childhood-exposed group (born from 1 October 1956 to 30 December 1958). The Cox proportional hazards model was used to analyze the association between early famine exposure and digestive system cancer. During the mean follow-up period of (10.4 ± 2.2) years, a total of 223 digestive system cancer events occurred. Including 54 cases in the unexposed group (62.14/100 000 person-years), 57 cases in the fetal-exposed group (114.8/100 000 person-years), and 112 cases in the early-childhood-exposure group (122.2/100 000 person-years). After adjusting covariates, compared with the unexposed group, the HR and 95% CI were 1.85 (1.28, 2.69) for participants in the fetal-exposed group and 1.92 (1.38, 2.66) for participants in the early-childhood-exposed group. No interactions were observed in our study. After classifying digestive system cancers, the HR and 95% CI were 2.02 (1.03, 3.97) for colorectal cancer for participants in the fetal-exposed group and 2.55 (1.43, 4.55) for participants in the early-childhood-exposed group. The HR and 95% CI were (1.13, 3.83) of liver cancer for participants in the fetal-exposed group and 1.15 (0.63, 2.10) for participants in the early-childhood-exposed group. Early-life famine exposure was associated with a higher risk of digestive system cancer in adulthood. Fetal-exposed individuals might increase the risk of colorectal cancer and liver cancer, and early childhood-exposed might increase the risk of colorectal cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On August 15, 2021, American military forces withdrew from Kabul, and the sanctioning of Afghanistan began. Marred by the usual problems—ineffective, counterproductive, unwieldy—these sanctions revealed three additional puzzles. First, although grounded in targeted sanctions, they transformed into de facto comprehensive sanctions. Secondly, that transformation was instantaneous and unprompted. Thirdly, a near-famine followed within weeks. I make nested analytical, functional, and explanatory arguments. The analytical argument is that targeted sanctions are best understood not as tools of international coercion but primarily as domestic regulations. The functional argument is that the Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) uses tactical and strategic ambiguity to maximize its regulatory reach over financial intuitions, humanitarian aid organizations, and money transfer organizations. The explanatory argument returns to the puzzles. I argue that, without any signal from OFAC, which was the signal, and reflecting OFAC's regulatory domination, when the Taliban took Kabul, the international financial community, humanitarian aid organizations, and remittance providers all dissociated from Afghanistan with immediate effect and particularly acute consequences on food entitlements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper illustrates the place of root shock in the colonial and postcolonial history of Ireland and situates this series of Irish papers inspired by Mindy Fullilove’s seminal book. It explains why the practice of eviction has such a traumatic resonance within Irish society. This trauma was laid bare in the responses to a 2023 artwork by Spicebag that connected modern eviction with its historical precedents. In this paper the elements of Spicebag’s work are given their historical context with an account of dispossession and plantation, famine and exile, urban poverty, and neoliberal privatization of land and housing. In each case, a new form of root shock was added to the earlier legacies producing chronic place-based trauma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Samples of the bones of 47 individuals from 46 Czech and Moravian ossuaries were dated by the 14C method and analyzed for the collagen isotopic composition of carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N). Most of the data for the ages of the remains corresponded to the cooler and damper periods described over the past 1000 years. Of the studied samples, the greatest number of remains corresponded to the Spörer (1400–1570), Dalton (1790–1830) and Wolf minima (1280–1350). One sample studied falls within the Maunder minimum (1645–1715). It can be assumed that these minima are connected with a reduced production of food and fodder, that may have initiated famines, epidemics and armed conflicts. Individual climatic minima showed positive correlations between δ13C and δ15N values, indicating that the individuals studied consumed complementary plant or animal diets to different degrees. The elevated δ15N values in our studied samples compared to the skeletal compositions of the population of the La Tène period (380 – 150 BC) and Germanic inhabitants in the territory of Bohemia (5th–6th centuries AD) and Great Moravia (9th–early 10th centuries AD) might reflect the effect of greater consumption of animal proteins or the proteins of omnivorous animals and fish, which compensated for the lack of plant foodstuffs during the colder periods. The isotopic composition of carbon and nitrogen of the bone collagen for the Spörer and Dalton minima differs from the Wolf minimum. The younger minima show higher δ15N values for a given δ13C value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PurposeEarly age of menopause may increase the risk of fracture, cardiovascular diseases, and all-cause mortality. This study aimed to investigate the relation between early-life undernutrition in the Great Chinese Famine and the risk of early natural menopause.MethodsA famine exposure retrospective cohort was established during 2017–2018. Postmenopausal women who were born on 01 October 1956–30 September 1964 and came to the hospital for routine health examinations were candidates for the study. Famine time was defined from 1 January 1959 to 31 December 1961. Three types of early-life famine exposure status were determined by the participant’s date of birth. Natural menopause age below 45 was defined as early menopause. The association between early-life famine exposure status and the risk of early natural menopause was confirmed by multiple logistic regression.ResultA total of 3,337 participants born around famine were included in this study. The prevalence of early menopause was 13.1, 10.0, and 8.3% for those born before, during, and after the famine, respectively. The multiple logistic regression showed that women born before famine significantly increased the risk of early menopause compared to non-exposure (born after famine) (the fully adjusted OR = 1.463, 95%CI = 1.049–2.042). The fetal famine exposure did not significantly increase the risk of early menopause (the fully adjusted OR = 1.244, 95%CI = 0.878–1.764).ConclusionLong-term early childhood famine exposure, which caused chronic undernutrition at young ages, increased the risk of early menopause. Early lifetime undernutrition can be recognized as an adverse factor in female reproductive development and aging. This cohort study further confirmed the hypothesis of developmental origins of health and disease from the aspect of women’s reproductive health. Further mechanism study is warranted.

The relevance of this article is justified by the necessity to construct a comprehensive picture of the development of Kazakh literature at the beginning of the 20th century through the analysis of tragic elements in the works of Myrzakhyp Dulatov. The authors critically evaluate various approaches to studying this aesthetic category in the works of I.I. Plekhanova, V.E. Khalizev, and E.V. Volkova. The scientific novelty lies in the first-time analysis of the poem ‘Qaida edıñ?’ (Where were you?) from the declared perspective. The research establishes that, firstly, tragic events (specifically, the forcible mobilization of Kazakhs for participation in World War I and famine) form the narrative basis of this poem. Secondly, antithesis serves as a significant means of conveying tragedy. Thirdly, the Kazakh worldview (steppe — land — Alash — people) depicted in this poem intricately intertwines with tragic hopelessness, where the semantic boundaries of the concept PEOPLE encompass human life values: steppe, family, lineage, generational ties, life. Fourthly, syntactic parallelism, various forms of repetition, rhetorical questioning, and other poetic devices aid the author in expressing their own viewpoint and engaging the reader in the quest to identify the culprit behind tragic events.

Food insecurity has the potential to lead to hunger and famine, which can affect various industries, including the hospitality and tourism (H&T) industry. Despite this, there are very few research studies investigated the effects of these risks on the H&T industry. This lack of research means that the industry is unable to assess the potential impact of food insecurity on the businesses in the industry. Based on this perspective, the current study examines the potential impacts of food insecurity, water stress, and famine risks on the H&T industry. Moreover, this study addresses challenges related to economic sustainability and resilience that have gained importance in the wake of the recent pandemic and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. In this article, risks associated with food insecurity are discussed and recommendations for future research are provided based on interdisciplinary research and published reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Self-employment is a field of special importance to developing countries in view of its positive role on socio-economic development. This study exploits a unique nationally representative database using the 1949–1985 China Demographic Data, the 2016 China Labour Force Dynamic Survey, and the 1959–1999 China Drought Disaster Data. Through a difference-in-differences estimation, we reveal that the Great Chinese Famine bear significantly upon individuals' self-employment decisions. Specifically, a 1% increase in famine intensity results in a 3.89% and 2.31% decrease in the probability of self-employment and self-employed entrepreneurs entering the agricultural sector, respectively. Using rainfall as an instrument, we further show that the documented relationship is causal. Overall, we provide strong empirical evidence that famine exposure significantly affects one's self-employment decisions, and can help design policies aiming to promote self-employment and the development of small businesses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tempo (1413-7704) is the property of Universidade Federal Fluminense, Departamento de Historia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

When disaster occurred in Qing Dynasty, some of the rich people, say gentry and merchants, were willing to make great contributions on relief. According to sources, donations for relief had some benefits for them. Not merely can they gain official titles with self-identity and superiority, but can convert “cultural capital” into upwardly mobile political chances and strengthen a say in local politics, propelling them into positions of power. Therefore, when making a substantial payment on relief, in exchange, contributors using symbols paid attention on the importance of cultural hegemony in maintaining their positions in local society. The observation of the relief donation in the Qing Dynasty made it a site to study not just how people dealt with the famine policy within structure and what the social mechanism at the time developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Holodomor of 1932-1933 in Ukraine is one of the most tragic pages in the history of the 20th century. This disaster, which took the lives of millions of Ukrainians, still causes controversy among historians, politicians and public figures. One of the important stages in the study of this phenomenon was the work of the international commission to investigate the Holodomor. The article is devoted to the study of the activities of the International Commission of Inquiry Into the 1932-1933 Famine in Ukraine. It analyzes the composition and organizational structure of the Commission, the methods of gathering evidence and testimony, as well as the results of its work. Special attention is paid to the impact of the Commission's work on the international recognition of the Holodomor as genocide. The article also explores the commission's role in shaping historical memory and ensuring historical justice for the victims of this tragedy. The Holodomor, considered an artificial famine, was caused by the policies of the Soviet leadership under Joseph Stalin. The main causes of the tragedy include the collectivization of agriculture, repression against the Ukrainian peasantry, mass seizing of grain and other food resources. These actions led to mass mortality from starvation, as well as significant social and demographic changes in Ukraine. The International Commission of Inquiry Into the 1932-1933 Famine in Ukraine was created to study the circumstances and consequences of this tragedy in detail. The commission included well-known historians, jurists and other specialists from different countries. They used a wide range of methods to gather evidence, including analysis of archival documents, eyewitness accounts and interviews with victims. The work of the Commission contributed to the discovery of many previously unknown facts about the Holodomor and its causes. One of the key results of the Commission's work was the recognition of the Holodomor as genocide at the international level. This recognition is an important step towards restoring historical justice and honoring the memory of the victims. The article also highlights the impact of the Commission's activities on modern Ukrainian memory politics, including measures to preserve and popularize historical knowledge about the Holodomor. In addition, the study of the commission's role in the formation of historical memory helps to understand how societies can resist attempts to falsify history and ensure a true reflection of the tragic events of the past. The conclusions of the article emphasize the importance of international cooperation in the investigation of historical crimes and the protection of human rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on the Irish Famine, this essay argues that Israel's enforced starvation of the Palestinian people in Gaza during the 2023–24 genocide is a deliberate act that advances the settler-colonial aspirations of the Zionist regime. In addition to preventing the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza, the author argues that manufacturing food insecurity is part of a long-standing Israeli policy in the besieged enclave, which includes targeting essential infrastructure and other elements of food production. The essay ends with a call on political representatives in both Ireland and the United States to reflect on their own legacy of colonially enforced starvation and to intervene to bring an end to the looming famine in Gaza. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the interconnections and interrelations between food, waste, people and state during a series of survival crises in the famines of 1921–3, 1932–3 and 1946–7 in Soviet Ukraine. Owing to grain and food requisitions, the collectivization of agriculture and rationing, as part of the state's growing control over the flow of economic resources from the 1920s to the 1940s, discarded food acquired particular importance for people's survival during these times of extremes. Focusing on both individual and institutional levels of waste production and regulation, this study explores the role of food waste in the survival practices of the starving and traces the development of their individual resourcefulness and interconnectedness with wider social and natural environments. The article explores different types of food waste, including husks, leftover food, carrion and spoiled and rotten food and the spaces of its collection. By 'following' the traces of waste in urban and rural landscapes, including, among others, dumpsters, slaughterhouses, cattle cemeteries and railway stations, the article brings into focus the critical changes in human–food, human–waste and human–nature relationships in times of extremes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]