Review by Choice Review
This volume contains a collection of papers presented at a 1985 colloquium that was part of an anniversary commemoration of the founding of the National Center for Atmospheric Research. As the title indicates, the book is primarily concerned with human hunger; however, it devotes considerably more attention to climatic factors than do most books about hunger, national food policies, or international relief efforts. Because of this focus, the work is a useful addition to the literature about Third World development. The papers fall under four major topics: problems and prospects for development in Africa; internal and external factors affecting processes that turn shortfalls of food production into famine; case studies of some African countries that have suffered most from food shortfalls; and case studies of countries in Asia and Africa that have had reasonable success in dealing with chronic famine. The central theme in a number of papers is that drought is not a temporary, unusual condition in some countries under consideration. Except for the emphasis upon climatic factors, the coverage and arguments are similar to those in Strategies for African Development, ed. by Robert J. Berg and Jennifer Seymour Whitaker (CH, Oct '86). Some of the essays in this collection will be of special interest to researchers in development economics, and most are appropriate for undergraduates as well.-C.L. Nelson, Davidson College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
