The world produces more than enough food for everyone. Famines occur because food is unequally distributed.
This is partly due to variations in the fertility of the land and weather conditions, but historical, political and economic divisions between different countries and regions also play an important part in famine.
Drought and crop failures happen all over the world. When they occur in developed countries like the UK or the United States, the government buys food from elsewhere and subsidises it to prevent the shortage from affecting prices too drastically.
In poorer countries, governments simply do not have money to spend on extra food. This means that the price of food rises and people have to pay more for less food. Famines occur when people can no longer afford to buy any food at all and supplies dry up completely.
To find out more, please download the Famine factsheet.