A guidebook for integrating GIS and gender in agri-food research and practice. Issued on 2026 by Nairobi, Kenya: CGIAR Gender Equality and Inclusion.

To truly empower women in agri-food systems (AFS) through geographic information systems (GIS), GIS and gender experts must be able to work directly within communities, bringing geo-literacy processes in situ and allowing women to apply these tools in their own territories with the accompaniment and support of experts. Such proximity helps build capacities where they are most needed and enables richer and more accurate data interpretation, as geospatial information is collected, understood, and analyzed within contexts that communities know intimately. This guidebook serves as a complementary resource to a scoping review conducted in collaboration with the CGIAR GENDER Impact Platform on integrating geospatial approaches into gender and social research within AFS. The review found that, although this is an emerging field, it remains underexplored and underutilized, with a lack of resources and platforms that enable researchers from geospatial, gender, and social research areas to collaborate, exchange ideas, and learn how to apply geospatial approaches, frameworks, and methodologies. The guidebook therefore functions as a resource and reference tool to help GIS experts and gender researchers adopt geospatial approaches for social and gender research in AFS. At its core, it supports the integration of GIS—tools and techniques used to capture, store, analyze, and display spatial data—into social and gender research. By enabling the study and visualization of relationships across datasets and thematic concepts, spatial interfaces help researchers and specialists understand patterns, processes, and emerging relationships that can inform findings and insights. The guidebook is intended for researchers and development practitioners interested in integrating geospatial methods into gender research in AFS and seeking guidance on where to begin, key considerations, and the types of methodologies or expertise required for this work.