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Remote sensing allows scientists to detect slowly evolving natural hazards such as agricultural drought. Famine early warning systems transform these data into actionable policy information, enabling humanitarian organizations to respond in a timely and appropriate manner.

These life‐saving responses are increasingly important: In 2006, one out of eight people did not have enough food to eat and 22 million more people became sufficiently undernourished to require intervention, prompting 22 countries to provide $6.5 billion in food aid. Since their inception in the mid‐1980s, the combination of monitoring and mitigation systems has dramatically reduced the number of famines caused by biophysical hazards, such as floods, drought, and pests, that destroy food crops [Murphy and McAfee, 2005]. Yet despite this notable achievement, many countries, mostly in Africa, face chronic and increasing food insecurity.