Famine Early Warning Systems Network

Famine Early Warning Systems Network
Name	Famine Early Warning Systems Network
Formation	1985
Purpose	Food security analysis and early warning
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Parent organization	United States Agency for International Development

Contents

Famine Early Warning Systems Network

The Famine Early Warning Systems Network provides anticipatory analysis of acute food insecurity to inform policy responses in fragile contexts, linking United States Agency for International Development, United States Department of Agriculture, United States Geological Survey, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and international partners such as the World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, International Committee of the Red Cross, and World Health Organization to deliver data-driven advisories. It synthesizes satellite remote sensing from Landsat, MODIS, and Sentinel platforms with socioeconomic indicators drawn from agencies including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, African Development Bank, and national statistical offices to support decision-makers in crises like the East African droughts, Sahel droughts, and conflicts such as the South Sudanese Civil War. The network serves humanitarian actors, donor governments, and multilateral institutions including European Commission services, United Nations Children's Fund, and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Overview

The Network combines geospatial science, household survey analysis, and market monitoring to identify risk of famine and acute food insecurity, interfacing with institutions such as United States Agency for International Development, United States Department of State, Department of Defense (United States), African Union, and non-governmental organizations like Save the Children, Oxfam, Mercy Corps, International Rescue Committee, and CARE International. Outputs include early warning bulletins, IPC classifications coordinated with the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, and scenario-based alerts used by actors including United Nations Security Council, G7, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and bilateral donors to trigger humanitarian response and policy action.

Founded in 1985 amid famines in the Horn of Africa and influenced by analyses from institutions such as the World Bank, United States Agency for International Development, and research centers at Cornell University, Tufts University, and University of California, Berkeley, the Network evolved through partnerships with NASA and USGS to adopt satellite-derived indices pioneered by teams at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and European Space Agency programs. Major milestones include adaptation to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification process, expansions after the 2005 Niger food crisis, and methodological upgrades following climate shocks linked to El Niño–Southern Oscillation events monitored by NOAA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Coordination with regional bodies such as the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and the Economic Community of West African States shaped operational deployments during crises like the Somali famine of 2011 and food insecurity in the Sahel crisis.

Analytical methods integrate remote sensing from Landsat, MODIS, Sentinel-2, and VIIRS with crop models used by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center and CIMMYT and pasture assessments informed by International Livestock Research Institute. Household-level data come from surveys conducted by Demographic and Health Surveys, Living Standards Measurement Study, and national bureaus such as Kenya National Bureau of Statistics and Ethiopian Central Statistical Agency. Market data are drawn from commodity exchanges and institutions like the Chicago Board of Trade and regional market monitoring platforms supported by FAO and WFP. Climatic inputs reference datasets from NOAA, NASA, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, and hydrological models used by USGS for river basin assessments linked to events such as the 2007 Horn of Africa drought. Analytical frameworks align with classification systems like the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification and metrics used by researchers at International Food Policy Research Institute and Oxford University.

Operations span sub-Saharan Africa, the Horn of Africa, parts of South Asia, Central America, and fragile contexts influenced by crises such as the Venezuelan refugee crisis and Afghan conflict. Field partnerships include national ministries of agriculture in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, and Nigeria as well as collaborations with regional organizations like the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and Southern African Development Community. The Network issues regular bulletins covering countries affected by shocks including the Sahel, Yemen conflict, and drought-prone areas of Somalia, while working with actors such as USAID missions, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, and humanitarian clusters coordinated by OCHA.

Analyses have influenced donor allocations by institutions such as United States Agency for International Development, European Commission, and United Nations appeals, contributing to scaled responses in crises including the Somali famine of 2011 and the 2015–2017 Horn of Africa drought. Independent evaluations by think tanks like Center for Global Development, International Rescue Committee, and academic assessments at Harvard University and London School of Economics have credited the Network with improving targeting of food assistance and informing resilience programs funded by entities such as the World Bank and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Network’s integration with the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification has been cited in policy reviews at the United Nations Security Council and donor coordination forums like the Good Humanitarian Donorship Initiative.

Critics from academic institutions including University of Oxford, University of Pennsylvania, and policy groups such as Humanitarian Policy Group have highlighted limitations in predicting rapid-onset crises driven by conflict dynamics like those in Syria and South Sudanese Civil War and noted difficulties in capturing informal markets in urban settings such as Kinshasa and Lagos. Concerns raised by analysts at Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch emphasize access constraints in besieged areas, while methodological critiques from researchers at London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Carnegie Endowment for International Peace focus on the integration of livelihood diversity, gender-disaggregated data, and the political economy of humanitarian funding. Ongoing challenges include sustaining partnerships with regional bodies such as African Union and adapting to climate-driven shocks monitored by Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change assessments.