Final answer:
The implementation of market reforms during the Great Leap Forward was not a cause of the famine. This period was marked by policies enforcing collectivization and rapid industrialization, which led to one of the most devastating famines in history.
Step-by-step explanation:
The causes of famine during China’s Great Leap Forward include the collectivization of agriculture, the establishment of backyard furnaces for steel production, and natural disasters like floods. However, the implementation of market reforms was not a cause of the famine during the Great Leap Forward. Instead, the famine was largely caused by policies implemented by Mao Zedong, aimed at rapidly transforming China from an agrarian economy to a socialist society through rapid industrialization and collectivization. These policies included keeping grain exports high, despite poor harvests, resulting in a catastrophic famine that claimed millions of lives.