Recent famines in Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia, underscore that these severe hunger crises remain a persistent global threat.

Two new papers published by Feinstein Director Paul Howe offer insights that could improve famine prevention and response. Howe is the Irwin H. Rosenberg Professor of Nutrition and Human Security and Professor of the Practice at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University.

In Disasters, Howe proposes a new integrated approach to analyzing famine causation that considers both how and why famines occur.

Using examples in Somalia, Ukraine, and Russia, the article illustrates how an integrated approach is key to understanding the trajectories of famine crises. This deeper understanding can improve early warning, humanitarian action, and prevention.

In Global Food Security, Howe and co-authors Theo Anastopoulo and Christopher Newton develop a standardized approach to describe the geographic scale and pattern of famines.

They propose terminology and typology to more easily identify spatial patterns and define populations and areas in need of assistance.

Together, the two studies offer new ways to help better analyze, respond to, and prevent hunger crises before they escalate into famines.

Read “How and why famines form: towards an integrated approach to causation” in Disasters

Read “Seeing famines: An exploration of the spatial dimensions of severe hunger crises” in Global Food Security (open access until October 9, 2025)