"An army marches on its stomach". Whoever said this knew what (s)he was talking about. Want to ensure that the enemy army gets a walloping in the event of a war, then their rations or their nutrition is their Achilles heel. Can anyone fight on an empty belly? Nope. Thus, one of the important responsibilities of any army specially during war, is to ensure that its troops receive adequate nutrition via unhindered rations, and from this thought originated the Scorched Earth policy.
Scorched Earth (SE) policy started out as a military strategy of burning food crops in areas the enemy troops were due. The idea of depriving the enemy army of locally available sustenance in the backdrop of dwindling rations, probably took birth in those times when agriculture was a mainstay and troops travelled primarily on foot. The motive is simple, make the enemy`s journey through ones territory tougher and wear them out faster. The SE policy was a double edged sword, as attempts to starve the enemy by burning food crops, also created food scarcity for the civilian population. But no one cared and it was and is still used world over (though these days it also involves destroying power and communication lines and other essential infrastructure which will prove beneficial to the enemy during its passage through ones territory).
Scorched Earth (SE) policy started out as a military strategy of burning food crops in areas the enemy troops were due. The idea of depriving the enemy army of locally available sustenance in the backdrop of dwindling rations, probably took birth in those times when agriculture was a mainstay and troops travelled primarily on foot. The motive is simple, make the enemy`s journey through ones territory tougher and wear them out faster. The SE policy was a double edged sword, as attempts to starve the enemy by burning food crops, also created food scarcity for the civilian population. But no one cared and it was and is still used world over (though these days it also involves destroying power and communication lines and other essential infrastructure which will prove beneficial to the enemy during its passage through ones territory).
In the Indian context, a prominent example goes back to colonial India, when the British burnt crops in the Chittagong region of Bengal, to slow down the advancing Japanese army of World War II. It had the intended effect, but Bengal paid a price. This crop destruction and a host of other political decisions, some directly affecting the civilian access to nutrition (the Rice Denial Scheme of 1942, food hoarding, confiscation of arable land) lead to artificial food scarcity and became one of the contributors of the Great Bengal Famine of 1943-44. Over 4 million Indians died due to starvation and malnutrition in Bengal that year. That`s 40 lakh people perishing just for lack of nutrition!
Article 54, Protocol I, of the Geneva Conventions (1977), has banned destruction of food supplies of civilian populations during times of war or conflict. The best part? This ban is applicable only on nations which ratified or approved of Article 54. Notable exceptions include USA and Pakistan.
The SE policy is just one way food is used as a weapon across the world. Henry Kissinger articulated it well in his famous quote, "If you control the food supply, you control the people”. And, what gives food this great power? You know the answer. Everybody does, otherwise `Roti' wouldnt have come before `Kapda and Makaan'. To reiterate, food is powerful because of simple fact that without food and in turn the nutrition it provides, life doesnt stand a chance. Here is to more respect for our Daily Bread.
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The Nutrition Omnibus and A Fistful of Nutrition © Raksha Changappa
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Nutrition is a weapon, Famine, Scorched Earth Policy, The politics of nutrition, War time nutrition strategies, Great Bengal famine 1943-44, Rice Denial Scheme 1942, Chittagong-Bengal
