Why is a country with some of the world's most fertile land also the home of so many hungry people? The authors of Needless Hunger spent two years in Bangladesh investigating the paradox of hunger in a "basketcase" country which actually produces enough grain for its people already.
Boyce and Hartmann, Bengali-speaking anthropologists, not only trace the history and structure of Bangladesh society, they also draw us into the daily lives of the people of Katni, the village where they lived.
"There is no natural barrier to the satisfaction of the basic human needs of Bangladesh's people," they conclude. "But there is the man-made barrier of a social order which benefits a few at the expense of the many." The foreign aid which pours into the country actually entrenches the very elite which keeps the majority powerless and hungry, they found.
Needless Hunger is also a book of hope which describes the strength and potential of the Bangladesh people and their desire for a society in which food-producing resources are controlled by the majority.
