From feast to famine : official cures and grassroots remedies to Africa's food crisis /

Rau examines the historical, social, and political determinants of famine, hunger, and poverty, and concludes that both Northern and African official solutions fail by ignoring the important contributions ordinary Africans are making to solve their everyday problems. Neither the historical discussion nor the critiques of official Northern and African analyses of Africa's crisis are new, but for the novice they illuminate clearly and concisely the relevant aspects of the debate. In addition, Rau pointedly takes a very long-term view of the impact of historical events, rather than address the issue with a typical mainstream development approach which begins in the 1950s. What is new and different in this book is the emphasis on indigenous African development strategies as the key to future development planning. It is an important message and, as Rau points out, one that has been ignored for too long by " in the field. The volume lacks a comprehensive bibliography but contains a useful index. Depth of analysis is shallow in a few spots, but overall this volume makes a significant contribution to lower-division undergraduate and public library collections. K. H. Larson Elon College