Famine Early Warning Systems Network facts for kids
FEWS NET, which stands for the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, is an important group that gathers information and analyzes food shortages. It was created in 1985 by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the US Department of State. This happened after severe famines in East and West Africa. For many years, FEWS NET has been very successful. It is seen as one of the best programs for telling governments about upcoming food crises.
What FEWS NET Aims to Do
FEWS NET works to give information to governments, international aid groups, and reporters. This helps them plan for and respond to humanitarian crises, especially those involving food.
- FEWS NET has staff in more than 20 countries.
- They also have a technical team in Washington, D.C.
- They work with US government agencies and local partners.
- Their goal is to collect data and provide clear analysis.
- They focus on countries where food is often scarce.
FEWS NET looks at many things to understand food security. This includes climate, farming, food prices, trade, and people's health. They also study how people in local areas make a living. By doing this, FEWS NET can guess what might happen with food supplies. They can predict changes six to twelve months in advance.
To help leaders and aid groups, FEWS NET publishes monthly reports. These reports show current and expected food shortages. They also send out quick alerts about new crises. Special reports cover weather dangers, crops, market prices, and food aid.
How FEWS NET Works
FEWS NET mainly focuses on acute food insecurity. This means sudden or short-term food shortages. These are often caused by unexpected events like floods or conflicts. They do not focus on chronic food insecurity. This is ongoing food shortage due to long-term poverty.
Food shortages are rarely caused by just one thing. FEWS NET's predictions are strong because they look at many different factors. They consider farming, climate, and weather. They also look at markets, trade, how people live, and social issues like conflicts.
Key parts of how FEWS NET works include:
- Classifying Food Shortages: FEWS NET uses a system called the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification version 2.0 (IPC 2.0). This is an international scale with five levels. It describes how serious a food shortage is. FEWS NET experts helped create this important scale.
- Planning for the Future: A main part of FEWS NET's work is called scenario development. This is like figuring out "if this happens, then that will happen." They make smart guesses about future events. They also guess what effects these events will have. And they think about how different groups will react. By looking at current conditions and local ways of life, they can guess future food situations. They can easily update their plans as new information comes in.
- Watching from Afar: Since 2008, the risk of food shortages has grown in new places. In 2010, FEWS NET started a new way to get information. This is called remote monitoring. It means they watch for unusual things that might lead to food shortages. A FEWS NET coordinator covers several countries, often from a nearby office. They work with partners to collect and share data. The coordinator then analyzes the information. They produce monthly, two-page reports. These reports describe the current and expected food situation.
Who FEWS NET Works With
FEWS NET works with many partners to create its reports. Besides USAID, other US agencies help a lot. These include:
- The US Geological Survey (USGS). They provide regular reports on climate for farming. They also give advice on plants, water, and other environmental issues. USGS scientists in Africa offer specific analysis for those regions.
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Through its Climate Prediction Center, NOAA provides rainfall estimates. They also monitor weather patterns like El Niño and La Niña.
- NASA satellites. They provide images and raw data for USGS and NOAA to analyze.
- The US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Through its Foreign Agricultural Service, USDA works with FEWS NET on crop assessments and other farming activities.
Chemonics, a company focused on international development, supports FEWS NET's main office in Washington DC. They also support about 80 staff members in different countries. Most of these staff are from the countries where they work.
FEWS NET also works closely with other groups focused on food security. These include international organizations like the World Food Program and the Food and Agriculture Organization. They also partner with national ministries of agriculture and trade, and national weather services. In some countries, they might work together on reports or field visits. Examples of these partners include Comité permanent Inter-Etats de Lutte contre la Sécheresse dans le Sahel in West Africa and the Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit in Somalia.
FEWS NET's History
FEWS NET was created because of the terrible famines in Sudan and Ethiopia in 1984 and 1985. These famines caused about 1 million deaths. From the very beginning, the goal of this early warning system was to predict upcoming famines. It also aimed to advise leaders on how to stop or lessen these famines.
In July 2000, the system's name was changed to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, or FEWS NET. This new name showed how important it was to work with and strengthen local food security systems in different countries.
