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Table 3 Famine can occur for many reasons. Here, we explore the causes of historical famines and how they can be interpreted using the model parameters a, b, and k

From: The effect of acute and chronic food shortage on human population equilibrium in a subsistence setting

Historic famine

Meaning of variable change

Possible critical parameter

China Famine 1960s

Food production decrease

a because population relocation caused changes in workforce that led to differential production across the landscape, resulting in food shortages across the country

Somalia Famine 2010s

Sensitivity to changes in food supply

b because a combination of drought, changes in food aid, and civil unrest contributed to a total breakdown of the food production system

Greenland Famine 1350s

Trade between political units

k because there was originally a strong trade relationship between Iceland and the rest of the Viking world. Once trade declined and eventually stopped, the Greenland colonies went extinct