Teklu T
International Food Policy Research Institute, Washington, DC.
Disasters. 1994 Mar;18(1):35-47. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7717.1994.tb00283.x.
Botswana and Sudan experienced consecutive years of drought in the 1980s. Sudan faced a large decline in food entitlement and nutritional deterioration, which translated into famine in 1984/85. Botswana, on the other hand, nearly compensated income losses and averted nutritional deterioration and famine-related deaths. There are important lessons to learn from the famine prevention experience of Botswana. Its strategy for dealing with drought and famine combines policies of steady economic growth with supplementary poverty alleviation and drought relief programs. To provide continuity and stabilization of market operations in times of distress, the country channels sufficient food through market chains, provides price support to preempt market collapse and augments the income of consumers through public income transfer programs to prevent demand failure. In addition, it maintains a responsive and accountable political system and a decentralized participatory administrative structure. While Sudan should develop policies that are compatible with its own environment, it is crucial that it recognizes the critical role of public action in promoting growth, alleviating poverty, and providing timely relief responses in times of anticipated growth failure.
博茨瓦纳和苏丹在20世纪80年代经历了连续多年的干旱。苏丹面临着粮食获取量大幅下降和营养状况恶化的问题，这在1984/1985年演变成了饥荒。另一方面，博茨瓦纳几乎弥补了收入损失，避免了营养状况恶化以及与饥荒相关的死亡。从博茨瓦纳预防饥荒的经验中可以学到重要的教训。其应对干旱和饥荒的战略将稳定的经济增长政策与辅助性的扶贫和抗旱救灾项目相结合。为了在困境时期保持市场运作的连续性和稳定性，该国通过市场链输送充足的粮食，提供价格支持以防止市场崩溃，并通过公共收入转移项目增加消费者收入以防止需求失灵。此外，它维持了一个反应灵敏且负责的政治体系以及一个权力下放的参与式行政结构。虽然苏丹应制定与其自身环境相适应的政策，但至关重要的是，它要认识到公共行动在促进增长、减轻贫困以及在预期增长失败时及时提供救济应对方面的关键作用。
