Donald Trump’s cuts to USAID expose world’s hungriest to famine

The disappearance of FEWS has left humanitarian relief organisations short of guidance on when, where and how to deploy aid.

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has been largely dismantled by president Trump's flood of executive orders in his first 100 days. Picture: Michel Lunanga/Getty Images

The global Famine Early Warning System (FEWS) has gone offline, leaving some of the world's most vulnerable people unprotected, due to the Trump administration's huge cuts in federal agency funding.

FEWS monitored 30 countries across Africa, Central America, the Caribbean and South Asia, collecting data on weather patterns, agricultural production, market prices and conflict trends, to predict food crises before they escalate into full-blown famine.