Starvation (6)
I believe the answer is:
famine
'starvation' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
This is all the clue.
(Other definitions for famine that I've seen before include "A great shortage as of food" , "Extreme lack of food" , "Severe shortage of food for many" , "Extreme scarcity of food" , "Widespread scarcity of food" .)