Each week, Food Tank is rounding up a few news stories that inspire excitement, infuriation, or curiosity.
FEWS NET Halts Reporting on Food Insecure Countries
The Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) is no longer reporting on three of the countries most at risk of hunger: Afghanistan, Somalia, and Yemen.
For the last 40 years, the resource has provided timely, accurate information on acute food insecurity. Rajiv Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation, says that he has seen firsthand how the tool has been used to mobilize resources and save lives before a crisis hits. It also saves money: According to the World Food Programme, every US$1 invested in anticipatory action yields up to US$7 in avoided losses and benefits.
In early 2025, the Trump-Vance Administration abruptly took FEWS NET offline for several months, raising alarm among international aid organizations and governments. Now, the administration is targeting the platform again. In response to questions about the change, a spokesperson from the U.S. State Department says they are “focusing on countries that align with the Secretary’s broader policy priorities.”
But Shah points out that this data is essential for addressing food insecurity in nations deemed “hunger hotspots” by WFP. “We cannot prevent the world’s hungriest people from starving if we are flying blind,” he says.
Global Land Restoration Gains Ground
Over 124.3 million hectares of land—an area roughly twice the size of France—are under restoration, according to a new report from the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
East Asia, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa are leading efforts as countries work to revive forests; shift farming practices; and restore drylands, rangelands, and agricultural landscapes.
“Restoring degraded ecosystems strengthens climate resilience and addresses biodiversity loss, while delivering significant economic and environmental returns on investment,” says IUCN Director General, Dr Grethel Aguilar.
Countries have pledged to restore 1.2 billion hectares as part of their national targets under four major international frameworks. Yasmin Fouad, Executive Secretary of the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification, encourages the move from commitments to implementation at scale to achieve their goals.
It May Be Getting Easier to Hold Fossil Fuel Companies Accountable
A new study in Earth’s Future suggests that it’s possible to tie emissions from particular companies to specific harms. Researchers hope this can help advocates hold fossil fuel companies responsible for climate impacts.
The study ran over 150 simulations to show how carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere influence the odds of extreme heat and rain—and the role fossil fuel emitters played. Author Christopher Callahan says, “What this science tells us is that there is a direct relationship between how much an entity emits and…[the] extreme events that alter people’s lives.”
The fossil fuel industry accounts for 68 percent of greenhouse gas emissions and almost 90 percent of carbon dioxide emissions globally, according to the United Nations. And food and farming systems are a part of this: Food production accounts for at least 15 percent of fossil fuels used annually.
Many questions around climate liability linger, but some experts believe legal cases supported by this new research have the potential to “[rock] the courtroom.”
U.S. Farmers’ Struggle to Access Resources Continues
Farmers across the United States are facing as they try to access resources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the New York Times reports.
In many parts of the country, skeleton staff remain at local offices and in some counties, there’s nobody at all.
More than 20,000 workers out of more than 110,000 left the agency during the first half of 2025. And recent data show that the rate of departure is even higher in divisions that work directly with farmers and rural residents. Rural Development, a subagency at USDA, has lost more than a third of its staff since January of last year.
The staffing and budget cuts leave farmers and charity organizations facing delays as they wait to receive federal funding. USDA is also approving fewer loans and grants. In the past three fiscal years, the agency made investments that total between US$24-40 billion. This fiscal year, with just a month left, the agency has approved US$15.8 in investments.
Farmers are feeling the disappearance of expertise and institutional knowledge as well. Amanda Butterfield, a rancher in Pennsylvania, says, “We’ve completely lost a whole group of experts within our communities across the United States that can no longer help and support us.”
Water Rises in African Sahel
The African Sahel region is seeing more water than it has in decades. Wells are filling up and water tables have risen by 13 feet or more in some places. Areas that have been affected by drought for decades seem to be recovering.
Farmers are seeing the benefits. One farmer in Chad said that in the past, there wasn’t enough water to irrigate crops, leading to small harvests, but now, he says, “Now our lives have changed.” And as producers grow crops like millet and sorghum, they’re leaving more moisture in the soil than grasses they replace.
Shifting rainfall patterns and heavy monsoons are partially responsible for the changes, but scientists say that more is at play. They believe that practices such as traditional water harvesting methods and projects like the Great Green Wall have also helped.
Encouraged by the results, Nigeria is considering restoring an irrigation project on the shores of Lake Chad, which it was forced to abandon due to drought. It promises to improve food security and create jobs.
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Photo courtesy of Mihajlo Sivc, Unsplash
