What caused the famine in Flanders from 1844 to 1846?

The famine that occurred in Flanders from 1844 to 1846 was caused by the coincidence of poor grain harvests and a potato blight.12

This crisis exacerbated the deep impoverishment already present in the Flemish countryside, which had been struggling due to a disastrous decline in the traditional linen industry caused by the rise of mechanized linen mills. The resulting economic hardship and food shortages significantly retarded the region's modernization until the beginning of the 20th century.12