GESI reference guide: GESI & Food Security and Livelihoods

Food Security and Livelihoods programs alone cannot achieve development goals if they exclude certain groups from the benefits. To ensure that marginalized and excluded groups can fully participate in decision-making and benefit from FSL interventions equitably, strategies must integrate Gender Equality and Social Inclusion. World Vision’s GESI approach actively addresses harmful social norms and power imbalances to advance GESI across all contexts and technical program areas. GESI is crucial for fulfilling World Vision’s “Our Promise” global strategy and its child well-being objectives. While GESI typically focuses on access, decision-making, participation, systems, and well-being, some programs still fall short in adequately incorporating GESI, despite good intentions. The development of a framework combining food systems and GESI demonstrates an inclusive, transformative approach to sustainable food systems outcomes. This framework unites food security, livelihoods, GESI, and nutrition, with child well-being at its core, supporting inclusive, sustainable development. Within the framework, food systems drivers and GESI domains interact, catalyzing change at various levels (individual, household, community, societal) by transforming systemic barriers to inclusion.