Theory of change

The Theory of Change (ToC) for gender transformative programming for food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture developed by the JP GTA offers a conceptual framework to assist the UN Rome-based Agencies - FAO, IFAD and WFP - and their partners in designing and implementing gender equality work with a transformational and sustainable impact.

The ToC was drafted with the working hypothesis that addressing the root causes of gender inequalities and triggering a transformative change in policies, institutions and society at individual, household and community levels are essential to achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (SDG 2, zero hunger).

The long-term outcome (expected impact) is to contribute to the achievement of SDG2 to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture through gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE).

The JP GTA ToC emphasizes that gender transformative programmes need to address the practical needs of women as well as their strategic gender interests by triggering change (transformation) in the three domains of empowerment (agency, relations and structures) across the formal and informal spheres of life at individual and systemic dimensions.  These programmes explicitly engage also with men and boys as allies for change and advocates for gender equality.

The ToC follows the socio-ecological model for gender transformative change which upholds that to achieve substantive gender equality and for norm change to be sustainable, change has to happen at the individual level and transform society as a whole, because gender shapes relations at the micro, meso and macro levels.

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