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Impact Area:
Gender equality, youth
& social inclusion

Closing the gender gap and
enhancing opportunities for youth
in food, land, and water systems.

About

Photo by Metro Media/IWMI.

On average, women make up 43% of the agricultural labor force in low- and middle-income countries, yet their access to resources, rights, and services is limited, holding back prosperity for all.

Photo by C. Hanotte/ILRI.

More than 85% of the world’s 1.2 billion youth live in low- and middle-income countries, where many face limited opportunities for employment or entrepreneurship.

Photo by P. Lowe/CIMMYT-MAIZE.

Improving the lives and livelihoods of women, youth, and other marginalized groups is vital for equitable, productive, resilient and sustainable food systems.

Objectives

Through research and innovation, CGIAR aims to address these challenges and contribute to collective global targets for Gender Equality, Youth, and Social Inclusion:

Close the gender gap in rights to economic resources, access to ownership, and control over land and natural resources for over 500 million women who work in food, land, and water systems.
Offer rewarding opportunities to 267 million young people who are not in employment, education, or training.

Activities

To contribute to these global collective targets, CGIAR Initiatives will:

Focus on gender-transformative approaches, communication, and advocacy that lead to empowerment of women and youth, encourage entrepreneurship, and address the socio-political barriers to social inclusion in food, land, and water systems.
Develop and implement interventions designed to enable equal access to innovations and capacity development, as well as financial, informational, and legal services for women and young people to enable them to shape agrifood systems.
Supply improved varieties and breeds that are affordable and accessible to women, youth, and disadvantaged social groups, meeting their specific market requirements and preferences.

All CGIAR Initiatives will contribute to Gender Equality, Youth, and Social Inclusion. Below, browse a selection of Initiatives that primarily contribute to this Impact Area.

Platform

Each CGIAR Impact Area is supported by a dedicated Platform. CGIAR’s GENDER (Generating Evidence and New Directions for Equitable Results) Platform was launched in 2020. In support of CGIAR’s new 2030 Research and Innovation Strategy, this existing platform has transitioned into CGIAR’s Impact Platform on Gender Equality, Youth and Social Inclusion and is expanding its work to support the entire Impact Area.

To enable CGIAR to achieve maximum impact, this Platform:

Guides and amplifies CGIAR research, ensuring meaningful and lasting contributions to the global targets above.
Strengthens the performance of gender and social science research within and beyond CGIAR by identifying the highest standards and setting strategic direction.
Conducts independent research across the CGIAR portfolio, to synthesize evidence and fill gaps.
Engages a wide range of partners, builds capacity and informs global policy discussions.

You can learn more about the work of the Platform here.