Catherine Nakalembe: Why can't we better prepare for extreme weather?

Why can't we better prepare for extreme weather?

Thanks to advanced technology, we can now see droughts and crop failures months before they hit. So why are millions of people still going hungry? TED Fellow Catherine Nakalembe, director of the NASA Harvest program in Africa, exposes the blind spots that keep life-saving climate intelligence from reaching the communities it's designed to protect — and shares how to turn early warning into early action.

Despite the ability to predict droughts and crop failures months ahead with satellites and AI, millions still face hunger and loss. In 2024, one in three people worried about their next meal, even though technology could have saved or boosted their harvests. The problem lies not in prediction, but in translating early warnings into timely, practical help for people like smallholder farmers. Bridging the gap between cutting-edge data and on-the-ground action is the key to real resilience.

World-Changing Climate Tech Fails Without Human Translation

Despite thousands of satellites and powerful AI, millions still face hunger as early warnings about droughts and crop failures rarely reach those who need them. In 2024, nearly one in three people worried about their next meal, even though experts could see disasters coming months in advance. Technology delivers predictions, but not the translation into timely action that helps small farmers survive. Real impact comes when information gets transformed into support like seeds, financing, and infrastructure that actually reach people on the ground.