One of the most effective strategies in fighting hunger is to start with good information. FAO helps its member nations by serving as a knowledge network. It tracks where hungry people live and identifies what causes their hunger. It compiles statistics, publishes papers and facilitates access to databases, maps and other resources.

Following the WFS, many people called for better information about hunger. One response was the annual publication of The State of Food Insecurity in the World (SOFI), which charts trends and statistics on hunger.

As an inter-agency response, the Food Insecurity and Vulnerability Information and Mapping Systems initiative (FIVIMS) aims to better coordinate the collection of data on the national and international level, agree on best practices and link information to action.

These tools also help nations to meet the Millennium Development Goals.