The United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP) has launched a modernised intelligence platform designed to track global hunger in real time and help trigger faster humanitarian responses.

The new HungerMap Live, uses data analysis and predictive tools to show where food insecurity is worsening and where famine risks may emerge.

WFP says hunger is no longer only a crisis to respond to after the fact, but one that can increasingly be predicted before it escalates.

Its newly upgraded HungerMap Live platform brings together food security data from around the world, offering decision makers, journalists and the public a clearer picture of the global hunger situation.

Director of Food Security and Nutrition Analysis at WFP Jean Martin Bauer: “Hunger is a problem that can be predicted and where responses can be anticipated. That’s why information systems and data platforms like the HungerMap Live are important. WFP’s food security analysis capacity is about 300 specialists all over the world. They look at food consumption, market data, climatic data, food price information, and they analyse conflicts.”

 According to the agency, the platform also reveals how sharply global hunger has increased in recent years, while highlighting the countries facing the most severe food insecurity.

–SABC–