Famine is utter scarcity of food. It is such scarcity of food that people greatly suffer or die of starvation in large numbers. Famine occurs when the main food crops of an area fail completely. Failure of paddy crops means famine to the people who live on rice. In times of famine, charity dies out. for want  of food men eat grass and such other things which are not eatable. 

Yet they starve and die. They leave their homes in search of food. They suffer terribly in strange lands. Failure of any one crops results in scarcity only. But if two or more crops fail one after another, the result is a dire famine. Sometimes drought takes place in two or more consecutive years. 

This also brings about famine. Anything that hampers the growth of food crops is a cause of famine. Failure of crops may be caused by continued drought or flood. It may be caused by excessive rainfall or dry weather or by pests. Crops may, again be damaged by war and aggression.

 Man also can create famine. Hoards, profiteers, and black marketers create famine condition through their nefarious activities. We should take steps beforehand for the prevention of famine and if it breaks out, co-operate with our government to fight it with all possible means.