African famines

[Tyrannical]

Remember the Ethiopian famine in the late 80's and Rock concerts supporting relieving it? Their population has about doubled since then.
I could draw corollaries between feeding wild deer and feeding Africans, but that would be insensitive. Which is why birth control should be required.

[Tyrannical]

Birth control should be made mandatory before we help these African countries anymore. Over population is the problem, not famine. Famine is the natural way to counteract overpopulation.

Natural? What's natural? People use that term to explain things over which we often have control these days. The UK population is approaching 70 million as opposed to 8 million in 1800 and 30 million in 1900.

We haven't 'naturally' had our population controlled by famine.

The vast majority of famines and human disasters in this day and age are hugely influenced by human beings and as such to a great extent avoidable if the will was there.

There obviously does exist a given carrying capacity for a given society. Since the UK is not in the news crying famine and needing food donations, it has wisely not reached that level. Many of the Africa countries are not only net food importers, it is foreign money donations that allow them to import additional food.

[Warren Dew]

Is the Somalian famine a western responsibility

No.

and if not, why should our governments provide millions in aid out of the public's purse?

Because the money ends up in the pockets of politically powerful farmers who help keep those governments in power. The fact that free food aid ruins their local food production industries and causes greater famine only strengthens the political imperative.

[Tyrannical]

Rhodesia used to have a large and extensive farming infrastructure. I wonder what happened