Food security problems should be seen as “normal” in and endemic to subsistence agricultural groups in semi‐arid zones of developing countries. Natural, popular response mechanisms exist that address these problems when they are at “normal” levels. All response mechanisms in developing countries can be expected to be swamped in times of a major food emergency. During major crises international relief assistance will continue to play a crucial role. Attempts at imposing centralized, institutional social security systems that address the normal “pockets of need” syndrome will be extremely expensive, not self‐sustaining, and prone to failure. In that these efforts may undermine natural response mechanisms and draw scarce resources away from more logical, decentralized relief agencies these efforts may prove dangerously cou