In the past few decades, disagreements over whether and when famines have occurred have delayed responses to hunger crises.

A new World Development Perspectives paper 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.

Howe aims to clarify how famines unfold over time by distinguishing between famine risk, famine processes, famines, and famine legacies.

By resolving persistent ambiguities, the framework helps to address the technical, experiential, and political concerns surrounding crises from southern Sudan and Somalia to Tigray and Gaza.

A more complete and accurate understanding of famines can promote earlier humanitarian assistance and lessen the suffering of those most affected by famines.

Read “When do famines begin and end? Clarifying the temporal dimensions of severe hunger crises” in World Development Perspectives (open access until March 23, 2026)