Global leaders launch initiative to combat food security data funding decline

A new multi-stakeholder initiative, the Intentional Data Community for Food and Nutrition Security (IDC), has been announced to strengthen global data systems used to anticipate and respond to food crises. The launch comes as funding for 41 priority data systems, including the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) and FEWS NET, has seen a 31% decline for 2025.

The initiative aims to protect critical data infrastructure, increase investment in locally owned data analysis, and better link data to financing and decision-making. This effort is intended to help governments act before crises hit, particularly as climate patterns like El Niño and geopolitical conflicts disrupt fertilizer and food markets.

In Sudan, the urgency is underscored by the compounding effects of civil war and El Niño-driven drought. Rainfall during the peak rainy season was the lowest in decades in several states, including North Darfur. The UN World Food Programme forecasts that severe hunger could impact an additional 1.2 million people in Sudan by August 2027 due to these environmental and conflict-related pressures.