Welcome
Core Practice Area
Fragility, Equity and Security
Addressing social, economic, and climate shortcomings by starting at root causes
We innovate in the development sector to create evidence-based and community-grounded frameworks for understanding and addressing societal threats.
Institutional fragility, inequity, and insecurity, are self-perpetuating and mutually reinforcing phenomena.
Implementation of effective development strategies and investments require localized insight on these conditions, beyond national averages and classification systems.
Fragility:
“The combination of exposure to risk and the insufficient resilience of a state, system and/or community to manage, absorb or mitigate those risks.”
States of Fragility 2025, OECD
We transform localized data into territorial insights that reveal inequities, identify drivers of fragility, and strengthen security and resilience.
Domains and Services
Four integrated domains and service areas , delivered as a single analytical workflow by a multidisciplinary team of economists, planners, geospatial scientists, social scientists and engineers.
Core Capabilities
How we engage
The practice is delivered in three modes, separately or in sequence, according to what the client needs and what their procurement instrument allows.
Across all three, engagements close with something a client can act on a prioritisation scheme, a cost intervention set, a measurement instrument, or a platform in institutional hands.
Track record
52 countries
93% client retention
Delivered for the IDB, the World Bank, UNICEF, UNDP, FAO, ILO, UNIDO, GIZ , ONGS and national governments.
Published with our clients
Click to view any of these posts or publications
IDB, 2021
World Bank, 2019
IDB, 2022
World Bank, 2021
Related Projects
Subnational Classification of Fragility, Conflict and Criminal Violence: Conceptual Framework
The project began with a groundbreaking framework to evaluate Fragility, Conflict, and Criminal Violence (FCCV) at subnational scales across 26 countries, moving beyond traditional national-level classifications. This framework was operationalized across 6 pilot countries by assessing Institutional Capacity, Economic Inclusion, Basic Services, Environmental Stressors, Criminal Violence, and Armed Conflict to pinpoint territorial pockets and establish a scalable model for Latin America and the Caribbean.
Our collaboration with the IDB continues through ongoing strategic advising and guidance to integrate FCCV implementation into country strategies across all member nations.
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Development Gaps Analysis for Haiti
GeoAdaptive’s extensive portfolio in Haiti addresses community needs, food security, and economic mobility through COVID-19 recovery projects. National-scale analysis evaluated institutional priorities and sectoral gaps. Subnational analysis in Nord-Ouest assessed food access, services, climate exposure, and food insecurity to design interventions targeting key infrastructure, local capacity, economic stability, women’s opportunities, and basic needs.
This work culminated in strengthening agricultural value chains to boost livelihoods and food security, building a foundation of basic needs sustained by economic growth.
Publications:
Critical Water Infrastructure and Disadvantaged Community Assessment, Florida Coast
GeoAdaptive supported Ocean Conservancy’s Climate Policy Program by mapping and prioritizing target communities for the federal Justice40 initiative across one county and two Florida municipalities. Using a granular geospatial assessment, we aligned pollution, infrastructure, and climate exposure data with eight social disadvantage factors to analyze water, wastewater, and stormwater system quality. Additionally, we evaluated state revolving funds and water system failure data to connect socioeconomic analytics with institutional performance and address municipal climate justice gaps.
Smart Villages in Azerbaijan: A Framework for Analysis and Roadmap
In a country with a young population and widespread communication networks, the World Bank is well positioned to mobilize previously remote and rural communities to improve well-being and prosperity. GeoAdaptive’s work with the World Bank in Azerbaijan began with the creation of a holistic framework of economic opportunity, infrastructure and services, and local governance capacity to inform an activation plan for rural communities. This framework was operationalized across 53 total indicators to create a comprehensive understanding of the barriers which limit equitable growth and hinder the utilization of digital resources.
Myanmar National-Scale Geospatial and Temporal Agricultural Value Chain and Food Security Assessment
GeoAdaptive’s FAO project in Myanmar evaluated environmental impacts on agricultural value chains alongside socioeconomic drivers of instability. Our spatial analysis examined production, transport, and distribution to guide targeted interventions that increase yields and minimize losses.
This work led to short-, medium-, and long-term policy recommendations to address current food insecurity and mitigate future crises.
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Coastal Zone Resilience and Sustainable Livelihoods, Moskitia–Atlantic Coast
In Gracias a Dios, Honduras, GeoAdaptive supported the World Bank in designing climate resilience strategies alongside local communities and fisheries. The effort featured rigorous participatory processes, including focus groups for women, youth, and persons with disabilities, to target community-identified priorities.Geospatial analysis mapped hotspots for plastic pollution, sargassum, and coastal erosion to guide mitigation and essential service delivery.
Recognizing that environmental, economic, and community challenges in fishery-dependent areas transcend administrative boundaries, GeoAdaptive facilitated multi-stakeholder institutional engagement connecting national ministers, local indigenous leaders, and multilateral partners to coordinate collaborative interventions.
Nepal Municipal COVID-19 Recovery and Disaster Preparedness Assessment and Investment Plan
In the years following the 2020 outbreak of Covid-19, GeoAdaptive supported the World Bank in developing a recovery and disaster preparedness strategy for the communities in Nepal. GeoAdaptive’s approach began with review and integration of existing initiatives for collaboration, and local engagement with stakeholders to identify the priorities of each municipality. By evaluating the risk profiles of each geographic context, GeoAdaptive was able to recommend a set of strategies and investments which would bolster local communities against a variety of health and environmental disasters.
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Bangladesh Economic Empowerment of Women through Resilient Agriculture Supply Chains
In emerging agricultural economies, the challenges faced by women take many social and logistical forms which hinder their integration into a workforce in need. In Bangladesh, GeoAdaptive supported the World Bank in evaluating the involvement of women in agricultural small and medium enterprises, identifying the barriers along the path of these value chains, and developing interventions for providing appropriate resources and capacity building in institutions to empower women in local economies. These barriers were substantiated by field visits and local engagements supplement quantitative analysis with on-the-ground experiences.
Interventions targeted social service delivery, the functionality of infrastructure, the availability of economic capital, and vocational training, all of which have unique determinations on the ability for women to have livelihoods and inclusion in civil society.