SAAMBAT is designed and implemented as a gender transformative and environmental and social inclusive project. It is to address the root causes of low rural productivity and household incomes, and limited economic opportunities especially for youth, women, indigenous people (IP) and other vulnerable groups. It contributes to improving agricultural productivity and household incomes, strengthening technological and soft skills, improving access to agricultural production inputs, markets, finance, and other non-agriculture rural services or employment. It also contributes to strengthening capacity for climate change adaptation and improving gender equality and women empowerment. Therefore, SAAMBAT integrates a gender, youth, IPs and climate change and other social and environmental safeguards into SAAMBAT key investment interventions.

SAAMBAT adheres to the guiding principle of UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of leaving no one behind (LNOB), whereby the focus must be on the needs, concerns and rights of women, youth and IP.

Gender action Plan, IPs framework, Social and Environmental Safeguards and Climate Change Adaptation, and M&E are developed and rigorously implemented and monitored for that purpose.