USA - Worldwide, famine was responsible for around one million deaths each year in the century between the late 1880s and the end of the 1980s. Now, many of us may mistakenly believe that humanitarian policies and better infrastructure mean that this type of famine is a thing of the past. The delicate web of supply chains crisscrossing the globe can be disrupted easily and suddenly, leaving unprepared consumers unexpectedly facing food shortages. This is what happened in the United Kingdom in 2000, when farmers and other protesters blockaded fuel depots and oil refineries, making it very difficult for supermarkets to restock their shelves since there was no fuel for their delivery trucks. The reality is that food is likely to become an increasingly scarce commodity, political instability and other factors make every American city vulnerable to sudden food shortages, and even the food we do have access to is tainted with fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals.