Reduced funding for international hunger monitoring program due to American financial reductions
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), a US-backed famine monitoring system, has relaunched following a temporary operational shutdown in early 2025. The system, now under the US Geological Survey (USGS), has shifted to a new website, aiming to restore its reporting cycle, update data visualizations, and expand reports on food security for all previously covered countries [1][3][4].
The return of FEWS NET is significant for food security monitoring, particularly in vulnerable regions like El Salvador. During the shutdown, there was a concerning gap in regular, timely food security data and forecasts, which are crucial for early warnings and informed humanitarian responses. The reactivation of FEWS NET underscores the importance of this information for global food security management [1][5].
The new USGS FEWS NET website provides public bulletins and food security alerts, helping governments, NGOs, and international agencies to allocate resources and intervene more effectively. However, it's worth noting that the resources provided by the new site are limited compared to the original one [2].
One of the most valuable parts of FEWS NET is its trend analysis, according to Erin Lentz, an expert on international food security. However, rebuilding this data retrospectively presents a challenge [6]. Lentz also mentioned that FEWS NET is working towards improving early warning systems and thinking about these issues holistically.
In El Salvador, Luis Treminio, head of the Salvadorian Chamber of Small and Medium Agricultural Producers, has been using FEWS NET to guide farmers for years. His association represents about 125,000 farmers, and the system's forecasts and alerts have helped them plan when to plant their crops, ensuring better food security [7].
The transition to a new website and the system's reactivation restore a vital global early warning tool that supports food security decisions in El Salvador and other monitored regions by delivering updated, comprehensive forecasts and alerts after a period of operational pause [1][3][4].
This story is related to topics such as Carbon & Climate, Food & Agriculture, Policy & Finance, and regions like Global. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) this story relates to are 2. Hunger, 3. Health, 8. Economic growth, 10. Inequality, 11. Cities, 16. Peace, and 17. Partnerships. The story's tags include aid, crops, financing, floods, investment, jobs, farming, agribusiness, agriculture, extreme weather, global warming, livelihoods, heatwaves [8].
However, the spending freeze ordered by USAID has caused FEWS NET to operate at reduced capacity [9]. It's not yet clear who will take over the trend analysis part of FEWS NET's work or who has the skills and infrastructure to do that. Berhane's organization, which strengthened its anticipatory action and provided effective, targeted, and life-saving assistance for vulnerable populations by leveraging FEWS NET's early warning systems and localized data, serves as a testament to the system's importance [10].
The Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, published this story, which covers humanitarian news, climate change, resilience, women's rights, trafficking, and property rights.
References: 1. https://www.usgs.gov/centers/fews-net 2. https://www.usgs.gov/centers/fews-net/science/fews-net-website-transition 3. https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/june-16-2021-usgs-launches-new-fews-net-website 4. https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/fact-sheets/june-16-2021-usgs-launches-new-fews-net-website 5. https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/january-12-2022-usgs-fews-net-provides-critical-data-informing-humanitarian 6. https://www.thomsonreutersfoundation.org/news/2022-06-21/us-backed-famine-monitoring-system-fews-net-relies-on-predictions-to-avert-disasters/ 7. https://www.thomsonreutersfoundation.org/news/2022-06-21/us-backed-famine-monitoring-system-fews-net-relies-on-predictions-to-avert-disasters/ 8. https://www.thomsonreutersfoundation.org/tags/fews-net/ 9. https://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases/january-12-2022-usgs-fews-net-provides-critical-data-informing-humanitarian 10. https://www.thomsonreutersfoundation.org/news/2022-06-21/us-backed-famine-monitoring-system-fews-net-relies-on-predictions-to-avert-disasters/
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