Man made famines some geographical insights from an exploratory study of a millennium of russian famines
Dando, W.A.
Ecology of Food and Nutrition 4(4): 219-234
1976
ISSN/ISBN: 0367-0244 DOI: 10.1080/03670244.1976.9990432Document Number: 324826
Famines were a regular but unexpected calamity in Russia and in the USSR from A.D. 971-1970. An analysis of 77 famines revealed that famines were not confined to specific natural regions, certain cultural areas or select racial groups. Famines appeared throughout this millennium in the nation's best agricultural regions. Five famine zones were delimited and mapped for there was order in the diverse locations of famines. Famines tended to cluster temporally and geographically, but were not restricted to any zone during a specific time period in this millennium. Certain zones were subjected to many famines during specific time periods, but famines occurred in all zones at the same time period. Four basic famine types were identified; transportation, political, cultural and overpopulation. Droughts were not the primary factor in the creation of situations which eventually led to famines. Though natural factors contributed to famine situations, Russian and Soviet famines were largely man-made.