Recent famines across Africa have prompted the questions of why Africa, and why again? Focus on these questions by analysing the situation of food insecurity and underlying causes.

The recent famines witnessed across southern, and more recently eastern Africa have revived international attention to the pressing questions of why Africa and why again? It is the very focus of this essay to address these questions through analysing the situation of food insecurity in Africa and the underlying 'causes', but also to question, through comparison to other 'major world regions' the assumption that Africa is experiencing the worst situation of food insecurity and therefore …

…can provide a model of the 'causes' elsewhere in the Developing world. This reflects the common status of the Developing world as the global 'South' within the unequal international economic North-South relationship. Food insecurity is therefore perceived as a symbol of poverty, emerging out of global economic structures that function in favour of 'Western' gain at the expense of 'Southern' stagnation. Africa, as the most food insecure Developing region provides the best example of this.