Food Shortages, Survival Strategies and the Igbo of Southeastern Nigeria during the Nigeria Civil War

War as an acceptable component of intergroup relations is usually resorted to when every other option may have failed. This is given its usually devastating consequences on both individuals and groups. To a great extent the thirty-month Nigerian Civil War practically devastated the Igbo food economy and in particular its food production systems. However, given the need to survive, especially under very difficult conditions, characterized by mass deaths, incessant population movements, insecurity and an economic blockade by the federal administration, which ensured that food supply was restricted, the Igbo had to evolve far reaching survival strategies including adapting to the consumption of several plants and animals hitherto unknown in their dietary habits. Although, this was hardly sufficient, but it all the same enabled them to sustain their resistance for a longer period. What this shows is that there is hardly any plant or animal that may not be consumed by man, depending on local circumstances and the willingness to adapt to changing conditions.