FEWS NET Back Online

The piece examines FEWS NET’s revival after a Trump-era halt and what it means for famine forecasting.

FEWS NET Returns After Trump Freeze Aims to Predict Famine

In 1985 famine images spurred Live Aid and the birth of FEWS NET, a global system that blends weather data, trade flows, crop reports and migration patterns to forecast hunger. For decades it guided where aid should go and when to act. Then in January, President Trump issued stop-work orders that shut FEWS NET offline, ending work at USAID on that program. By April some elements returned and by June the site was back, with plans for a full eight-month outlook to resume in October. The State Department did not respond to requests for comment on the restart or the future budget.

Aid workers welcomed the return but cautioned that gaps in data and delays in reporting could still slow decision making. The 2016 Ethiopian drought showed FEWS NET’s potential to avert a crisis, while others worry about political influence and funding constraints as aid budgets shrink. Ethiopian authorities previously shut down an IPC system and now face concerns about data reliability if independent sources are weak. Staff continuity helped speed the restart, with many veterans returning to work, underscoring how fragile such systems can be when political choices pull funding.

FEWS NET’s revival raises questions about independence, funding, and political will. The system’s core value is its independence from host governments, a feature that now matters more as aid budgets tighten. If donors hesitate, the risk is a slower response to new hunger hotspots or a longer gap in critical data. The article shows a mixed picture: progress toward reestablishing reporting, but lingering doubts about data quality and whether eight-month forecasts will translate into faster action on the ground. The broader trend is clear: forecasting is cheaper than relief, but only if the money and policy support follow the data. The comeback also tests how much trust governments place in external data versus domestic channels, a dynamic that could shape future humanitarian strategy across regions facing drought, conflict and economic instability.

Highlights

A steady stream of data and funds remains essential to keep the warning network robust.