Africa is experiencing unprecedented population growth, with approximately 60% of its inhabitants under the age of 25 (World Economic Forum, 2023). This demographic trend has led to increased food demand (FAO, 2019). In most contexts in Africa, women and youth play crucial roles in the three pillars of Food Security and Nutrition (FSN): food availability, food access, and food utilization. The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) highlighted in 2009 that countries with severe hunger problems also had high levels of gender inequality. Closing the gender and youth gap in agriculture could substantially reduce hunger and enhance food availability.
Recognizing these gender disparities, there is a growing acknowledgment of the necessity to effectively integrate gender and youth data into program and project cycles. This integration is critical for achieving national development goals and addressing global challenges, such as FSN. Ensuring the inclusion of gender and youth perspectives in FSN interventions is essential not only for equitable development but also for maximizing the effectiveness and sustainability of these initiatives across Africa.
However, significant variation exists in how FSN intervention implementers perceive gender and youth roles, leading to challenges in effectively integrating these perspectives into FSN programs and project cycles. In Africa, sociocultural, economic, and political barriers further hinder this integration into program and project cycles. Despite attention on integrating gender and youth aspects in development policy and practice since the mid-1990s, challenges persist. Collecting and utilizing gender and youth data is crucial for addressing the sociocultural, economic, and political barriers that hinder their effective integration. Such data help identify the specific needs, constraints, and opportunities for women and youth, enabling more targeted and impactful interventions. These gender and youth data enable more targeted and effective interventions that ensure the full participation of women and youth in FSN initiatives. Without such data, programs may overlook critical factors, leading to less impactful outcomes. To address the challenges of FSN in Africa, public and private organizations have initiated development projects and programs aimed at empowering and supporting local communities. The success of these initiatives hinges on the integration of gender and youth data.
To ensure the effective integration of gender and youth data into FSN interventions, particularly within African NGOs, there is an urgent need to enhance the capacities of implementers and practitioners working in this sector. A USAID survey of its implementing partners revealed a growing need for capacity development in integrating gender and youth data into FSN interventions. In response, ACED, with financial support from USAID through the GAYA initiative, is implementing a project aimed at strengthening stakeholder capacities. The primary objective is to identify effective strategies for collecting, analyzing, using, and integrating gender and youth data into FSN interventions. Once identified, these strategies will be compiled into a technical manual, which will then be converted into an online training course for African NGOs.
This rapid systematic review, coupled with key informant interviews, explores the barriers hindering the integration of gender and youth data into FSN interventions. It provides evidence-based strategies and approaches that can be used to collect, analyze, and integrate gender and youth data into FSN plans, policies, programs, and projects related to FSN in African regions.
