But with north Somalia recovering somewhat, while the south is mired in famine, one conclusion is inescapable.
That is necessary in famine-ravaged places, but it damages local markets.
In the worst-affected regions of Somalia, cereals prices are 260% higher than they were in 2010, comparable to what happened in Ethiopia, when grain prices in famine-stricken northern provinces in mid-1985 were about 300%-350% of their levels the year before.
ECONOMIST: Did the world react too late to signs of famine in Somalia?
Some 50 pages are devoted to a series of articles written in 1939, "The Misery of Kabylia, " detailing life in the famine-stricken northern region.
The award was doubly welcome because Sen, unlike many previous winners who focused on ever-more mathematical refinements of free market dogma, has devoted his career to studying poverty and hunger, and on the role democracy plays in preventing famine.
To avoid dying in a famine, the brain is wired to pick up on signs that calorie-rich foods are nearby, which helps explain why that piece of cake on the plate in front of you is so irresistible, or why seeing a sign for a doughnut shop draws you in even when you know you need to watch your diet.
Effective warning systems had been put in place following the 1984-85 famine in Ethiopia, said Mr Gormley.
Crispin was among some 100 agencies that clamored for a shot at a time when ad agencies are scrambling for any morsel in what is perhaps the most severe famine in Madison Avenue history.
But he warned that 400, 000 people, many of them children, were in danger of dying as a result of the famine in Somalia, as he appealed to other nations to "reach deeper into their pockets".
In 1993, in the abortive U.S. mission to end a famine in Somalia, Somali rebels and Army Rangers in Mogadishu engaged in an 18-hour firefight in which 18 U.S. soldiers were killed.
Her second point is that there has been an explosion in the number of do-gooders descending on disasters since the Ethiopian famine in 1984.
It worked in 1985 with his iconic charity hit "We Are the World" to help famine in Africa, and it seems to have worked again.
Lyse Doucet began her BBC career in Africa where she spent four years covering events in West and North Africa including a spate of military coups, and recurrent drought and famine in the Sahel.
In the 1980s, moved by the shocking images of famine victims in Ethiopia, Bob Geldof mobilised one of the most successful fundraising efforts ever through his Band Aid organisation.
Some 29, 000 Somali children have died from the famine in the past three months alone.
Along with our international partners, we've saved countless lives from the famine in the Horn of Africa.
WHITEHOUSE: President Obama and Prime Minister Cameron Hold a Press Conference | The White House
The UN first declared a famine in July 2011 in Somalia's Southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions.
The charity says the international community waited too long to respond to famine in East Africa last year.
And right now, the UN is committed to helping the people suffering from the famine in the Horn of Africa.
The fact is the United States is and is always concerned about the potential for famine in countries around the world.
In her acceptance speech, she appealed to the audience to "turn their hearts, minds and resources" to the famine in Africa.
BBC: Patti Smith and Kronos Quartet accept Polar music prize
The UN is expected to declare a famine in at least two regions of south central Somalia - Bakool and Lower Shabele.
Famine in the latter occasionally causes a relative "glut" in the former.
Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair, recently spoke of his regrets about the British government's failures during the Irish potato famine in the 1840s.
While the drought was regional, the crisis only led to famine in southern Somalia, where a governance failure and lack of access obstructed international relief efforts.
Around 12.5 million across the Horn of Africa are affected by the drought and the UN has declared a famine in five areas of southern Somalia.
Other regions, including Puntland, are likely to be identified as being at risk of famine in the coming weeks unless the supply of aid increases substantially.
"We Con The World" was modeled after the blockbuster 1985 single "We Are The World, " which featured numerous American stars and raised money to alleviate famine in Africa.
But 1m people died in the Ethiopian famine of 1984-85.
ECONOMIST: Did the world react too late to signs of famine in Somalia?
应用推荐