Kenya’s food security is under threat following the shutdown of the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (Fews Net) on January 30, 2025. For 40 years, this USAid-funded platform provided crucial data to predict and track food insecurity across nearly 30 countries in Africa, Central America, and Asia. Its abrupt closure has left a significant void in Kenya’s ability to anticipate and respond to food crises.
Fews Net played a vital role in Kenya’s food security planning by collaborating with the National Drought Management Agency and the Kenya Food Security Steering Group. The platform offered forecasts for crop production, food insecurity assessments, and climate and conflict-based predictions for potential crises. These reports helped Kenya’s government and international partners prioritize food aid and emergency responses.
The network’s analytics tracked price trends, food trade, and weather variability, providing critical insights for market stabilization and policy decisions. For example, it informed livestock offtake programs during droughts, allowing affected communities to sell cattle at fair prices before losses mounted.
Without Fews Net, Kenya faces challenges in generating timely forecasts and coordinated responses. Stakeholders may need to rely on existing data for now, but long-term food security efforts risk becoming fragmented without a reliable forecasting system.
To address the gap, Kenya must bolster its institutions like the National Drought Management Authority and the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. Strengthening technical capacity and increasing financial investment in food security initiatives will be essential for the country to produce reliable forecasts and respond effectively to future crises.