The NEXUS Gains initiative is about addressing the interconnected challenges of water, energy, and food security in rural Punjab, Pakistan specifically in the district of Rahim Yar Khan. Rural Punjab, faces compounding deficits in water, energy, and food security, layered with gender inequality and high poverty rates (40–50%). The CGIAR NEXUS Gains Initiative required a rigorous quantitative baseline to understand how water and energy systems affect rural livelihoods particularly from a gender perspective — before interventions could be designed. Conducting such a survey in a predominantly rural district posed logistical difficulties, including simultaneous availability of both male and female household members for 120–150 minute interviews, limited internet connectivity in the field, and the need to maintain gender-matched interviewing across a large, dispersed sample.
