This Project Briefing synthesises research findings from the first year of a three-year study by the SMERU Research Institute in Indonesia and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in the UK, funded by AusAID, which aims to address this gap by exploring the linkages between gender, food security and social protection effectiveness. In particular, this study examines the gendered dimensions and impacts of the subsidised food programme, Raskin (Beras untuk Rumah Tangga Miskin, Rice for Poor Households), which was first implemented in 1998 as part of the crisis response Special Market Operation (OPK) programme, and now reaches 17.5 million households, approximately 8% of the population.