Authors: Megha Gupta, Pallavi Shaktawat, Kanupriya Awasthi, Sachin Gupta, Muskan Dugar, Nehmat Deol, Aradhya Srivastava, Lakshita Purwar

Abstract

The study paper explores the area where gender budgetary practices meet food security, and further discusses how financial policies can significantly contribute to the occurrence of who possesses equal access to food. This study enlightens on how gender-responsive budgeting could be used to bridge the gaps regarding the distribution of the resources by analyzing the existing structures and government initiatives which will aid the marginalized groups (particularly women) to ensure their food supply at home and community levels. It discusses that gender lenses are relevant in the financial planning, where the investment in a specific project with women emphasis can return higher agricultural harvest, nutrition, and socioeconomic prosperity rates.

Based on the qualitative and quantitative information, this paper displays the obstacles of implementation of the gender budgeting indicating policy gaps, a lack of awareness, and structural obstacles, offering at the same time effective case studies, which can be used to model effective approaches.

The extended implications of gender-sensitive fiscal policies on sustainable developments further elaborated in the paper put more emphasis on the inability of achieving food security if there is equitable governance and inclusive decision making. It connects budgetary allocations and direct results in nutrition and livelihoods, whose evidence shows that strategic gender-based interventions have the capacity to decrease food insecurity, the reduction of poverty and inclusive growth. Conclusively, this research paper suggests an integrated approach of using gender budgeting, in which it acts as both a means of creating social change as well as a means of financial change by balancing economic planning based on the needs of the vulnerable populations and the long-term fix of food security among all people.

Keywords: Gender budgeting, Gender responsive budgeting, South Asia, Gender roles, Food security, Social Security Initiatives, Household resources, Food Equity, Nutrition Outcomes, Food policy, Government schemes, Post-COVID, state-level gender budgeting, India, Constraints, Comparative analysis, food policy