AdvertisementWhen Do Food Shortages Become A Famine? There's A Formula For ThatAugust 27, 2014Gregory WarnerfacebookEmailMartha Nyarueni (right) and her family return to their home outside the town of Leer, South Sudan, after receiving an aid package in early July. The country is facing serious food shortages, but it has not formally been declared a famine. (AFP/Getty Images)