A study published in Nature Food finds that the IPC system tends to underestimate hunger. The IPC system is used to guide humanitarian aid in many countries. The study team was asked by IPC in 2021 to check how the system works.
Researchers did interviews with aid agencies and then analysed almost 10,000 food security assessments from 2017 to 2023. They saw many results close to the 20% crisis threshold, and they estimate more people need help than the IPC counts. The authors say better data and clearer decisions are needed, and that machine learning might help but should not replace experts.
Difficult words
- underestimate — think something is smaller or less serious
- humanitarian — connected to help people in crisis
- assessment — a report about a situation or problemassessments
- threshold — a level at which action may happen
- machine learning — computer programs that learn from data
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think better data is important for deciding aid?
- Do you trust computer tools like machine learning to help experts? Why or why not?
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