I think in part the starvation is also due to the monster groups that keep popping up, roaming in Rural Regions and not allowing to recover.
The Realm I am in has had instances where we cleared a region of monsters, and when we moved away to either refit or defend another region, the turn right after suddenly monsters appeared /again/. Large groups that need multiple troops to defeat. (And they spawned, not even moving from region to region, though this also happens it is not the issue here).
It really seems like a no-win scenario as these monsters do not need to refit at all, where players would in a war. Regions/Realms are under constant attack, without being able to even recover or try and fix damage done, or retake regions lost.
Since this situation started I have seen player activity drop due to the situation being stacked against us, in unfair ways. Change is good, and a challenge as well, but if there is literally no way to win? This is also in a realm in the east, behind the places that were considered borders for the monster horde. So it is not meant to just lose regions like that according to the announcements.