In Book IV of Ab Urbe Condita (Chapters 12–13), Titus Livius (Livy) writes that the severe famine that struck Rome during the consulship of Marcus Geganius Macerinus and Lucius Sergius Fidenas (c. 440–439 BC) was attributed to two possible causes: an unfavorable season for crops or the abandonment of agriculture because the plebeians were distracted by the allurements of city life and political assemblies. [1, 2]

Livy notes that both explanations were argued at the time along partisan lines. The patricians blamed the plebeians for being idle, while the tribunes blamed the consuls for negligence and dishonesty. This crisis ultimately led to the appointment of Lucius Minucius as prefect of the corn-supply and set the stage for the rise and fall of the wealthy grain-merchant Spurius Maelius. [1, 2]

Latin Text (Livy, Ab Urbe Condita, 4.12.3)

"Coortus est annus fame tristis, seu caelum infaustum frugibus fuit, seu peregrinatione ac coetibus urbis agrorum cultura deserta; nam utrumque traditur."

English Translation (Loeb Classical Library)

"The year opened with a grievous famine, whether because the season was unfavourable for crops, or that the attraction of assemblies and city-life had left the fields uncultivated; for both explanations have been given." [1]

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If you would like to explore this historical period further, I can provide more details on:

• How Lucius Minucius attempted to resolve the food shortage
• The alleged conspiracy of Spurius Maelius to seize royal power using grain distribution
• The political fallout between the patricians and plebeians during this crisis [1, 2]