In 1985, famine led to Live Aid and a U.S. alert plan. Trump froze it. Now it's back

Source: NPR

August 13, 2025 11:18 AM ET


In the summer of 1985, images of emaciated children in Ethiopia shocked the world and prompted one of the biggest charity concerts ever: Live Aid. Megastars like Paul McCartney and Lionel Richie, Madonna and Queen took to the stage in London and Philadelphia. Tina Turner and Mick Jagger wowed an audience that numbered over a billion people watching in person and on broadcast. All together, the event raised well over $100 million for famine relief in Africa.

Celebrities weren't the only ones responding to the famine, the U.S. government did as well. That same year, it created a system aimed at avoiding future famines. The U.S. launched FEWS NET, the world's first famine early warning system network. Combining data from a wide range of sources — from trade dynamics to weather data, from crop reports to migration information — it began producing detailed and timely reports on where and when hunger might strike.

For decades, governments and aid organizations around the world have relied on this system to predict and prevent food crises. That came to a sudden halt in January. The early warning system went offline as a result of President Trump's stop work orders. It had been part of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which Trump dismantled.

Now, FEWS NET is in the process of coming back online. This news has been greeted both with enthusiasm and caution by the humanitarian aid world, as food security specialists warn that questions remain about the quality of the revived system and its power to prevent starvation.

Read more: https://www.npr.org/sections/goats-and-soda/2025/08/13/g-s1-82265/in-1985-famine-led-to-live-aid-and-a-u-s-alert-plan-trump-froze-it-now-its-back