We know who is at risk for hunger: small landholders, agricultural laborers, many indigenous peoples (especially farmers), and the urban poor. We also know a lot about when people are likely to be hungry: in the “hungry months” before a harvest, when food from the previous harvest has run out, when smallholder farmers have to sell off their basic tools, seeds, or livestock in order to buy food, and when food prices rise on world markets (to name a few).
Our famine early warning systems are now much improved, such as research into early detection of plant diseases using smartphone technology. This information (which is rapidly improving all the time) allows us to plan ahead for resilience, be prepared with effective strategies, and to focus on those most at risk.