The Roots of Catastrophe

Drought and Man: The 1972 Case History, Volume 3: The Roots of Catastrophe is a two-part book that focuses on the structure roots of catastrophe, as well as case studies in this field. The book begins with an explanation of drought, agricultural production, self-provisioning, food insecurity, and social disjunctions. The case studies presented focus on disjunction between sectors and within agriculture in Latin America; regional and subregional disjunctions in Northeastern Brazil; political will and disjunction in Tanzania; and colonial disjunction in the Sahelian countries.

IntroductionPart One: The Structure Roots of Catastrophe Chapter 1 Drought Agricultural Production and Self-provisioning 1. Preliminary Remarks 2. The Impact of Drought on Plants 3. The Differential Impact of Drought on Agricultural Production 4. Drought and Consumption Patterns of Various groups of Agricultural Producers 5. An Application of the Model of Self-Provisioning to a Drought Year 6. Poorer Families and the Peak Period Problem 7. Methodological Consequences 8. Classes, Time and Reserves References Chapter 2 Food Insecurity and Social Disjunctions 1. Preliminary Remarks 2. Food Security and Development 3. The Urban Poor 4. The Rural Poor 5. Summary References Chapter 3 The Structure Roots of Catastrophes Development and Dynamic Equilibrium Structure and Function Structure and Genesis Vulnerability: Internal Disjunctions in a System ReferencesPart Two: Case Studies Chapter 4 Climate Variability, Agriculture, Industry and the State: Disjunction between Sectors and within Agriculture in Latin America A. Introduction References B. Agriculture, Industry and the State in Latin America Chapter 5 Regional and Subregional Disjunctions: The Case of North-Eastern Brazil A. Introduction References B. Drought as a Social Phenomenon in Northeastern Brazil Conclusions References Chapter 6 Political Will and Disjunction: The Case of Tanzania A. Introduction B. A Background and a Postscript to the Food Shortages in Tanzania in the 1970s Chapter 7 Colonial Disjunction in the Sahelian Countries A. Introduction B. The Sahel: Transformation and Drought References C. Proposals for Research-Action Concerning West African Societies Which Have Been the Victims of Drought ConclusionIndex