Who Has Access to Livestock Vaccines? Using the Social-Ecological Model and Intersectionality Frameworks to Identify the Social Barriers to Peste des Petits Ruminants Vaccines in Karamoja, Uganda.

Access to veterinary services is important in Karamoja, northeastern part of Uganda, as livestock is a primary source of livelihood. Gender is often overlooked in animal health programs, let alone intersectionality. However, given the socio-cultural intricacies of Karamoja, ignoring these factors may hinder animal vaccination practices, limiting the success of programs designed to control and prevent animal diseases, such as peste des petits ruminants (PPR). The study used qualitative research methods, including focus group discussions, individual interviews, and key informant interviews in a participatory research approach to investigate the constraints faced by livestock keepers when accessing vaccines. The study was carried out in Abim, Amudat, Kotido, and Moroto, four districts in the Karamoja Subregion of Uganda. A modified version of the socio-ecological model (SEM) blended with an intersectional approach were used as frameworks to analyze underlying individual, social and structural determinants of vaccine access with intersecting factors of social inequalities. The results show there are seven intersecting factors that influence access to vaccination the most. These are: gender, ethnicity, geographic location, age, physical ability, marital status, and access to education. The impact of these intersections across the different levels of the SEM highlight that there are vast inequalities within the current system. Access to vaccines and information about animal health was most limited among women, widows, the elderly, the disabled, geographically isolated, and those with unfavorable knowledge, attitudes, and practices about vaccination. Cultural norms of communities were also important factors determining access to PPR vaccines. Norms that burden women with household chores and beliefs that women cannot manage livestock, combined with gender-based violence, leaves them unable to participate in and benefit from the livestock vaccine value chain. Trainings and sensitization on gendered intersectional approaches for those involved in the distribution and delivery of vaccines are necessary to avoid exacerbating existing inequalities in Karamoja.

Beyond the Gender of the Livestock Holder: Learnings from Intersectional Analyses of PPR Vaccine Value Chains in Nepal, Senegal, and Uganda.

The peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a deadly viral disease of small ruminants, which are an important source of livelihood for hundreds of millions of poor smallholders throughout Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. PPR vaccination efforts often focus on overcoming financial, technological, and logistical constraints that limit their reach and effectiveness. This study posits that it is equally important to pay attention to the role of gender and other intersecting social and cultural factors in determining individual and groups' ability to access PPR vaccines or successfully operate within the vaccine distribution system. We compare three study contexts in Nepal, Senegal, and Uganda. Qualitative data were collected through a total of 99 focus group discussions with men and women livestock keepers and animal health workers, 83 individual interviews, and 74 key informant interviews. Our findings show that there are not only important gender differences, but also interrelated structures of inequalities, which create additional sites of exclusion. However, these intersections are not generalizable across contexts-except for the intersection of gender and geographic remoteness, which is salient across vaccine distribution systems in the three countries-and social markers such as caste, ethnicity, and livelihood are associated with vulnerability only in specific settings. In order to address the distinct needs of livestock keepers in given settings, we argue that an intersectional analysis combined with context-dependent vaccination approaches are critical to achieving higher vaccination rates and, ultimately, PPR disease eradication by 2030.

Addressing Domestic Violence as It Relates to Livelihoods in Rural Tajikistan.

This study investigates patterns of rural livelihoods in Khatlon Province, Tajikistan, as it relates to gender roles and responsibilities. This included a workshop in the train-the-trainer format for community workers to implement a violence participatory workshop among village-related women and men. Key informant interviews were performed to collect information about the perceptions of violence among village households followed by individual semistructured interviews with participants of the participatory workshops. Analysis included ethnographic content analysis using NVivo 12 software to extract salient themes. Results concluded that education and employment were essential in building empowerment among women in the villages.

Household decision-making around food in rural Tajikistan: a cross-sectional study to help extension workers in the field.

This study was conducted to research and develop recommendations for gender transformative approaches that will address misconceptions around food and nutrition, and reducing barriers around dietary diversity within rural Khatlon Province, Tajikistan. Most of the population in Tajikistan live in rural areas and spend a large part of their income on food. While stunting in children under 5 years has decreased, acute malnutrition and the number of underweight children has increased. This is a qualitative, cross-sectional study that involved secondary data analysis, key informant interviews (KIIs), and focus group discussions (FGDs) to gauge appropriate interventions for agricultural extension agents seeking to improve the nutritional outcomes of their communities. In February of 2017, data were collected from 4 KIIs and 15 FGDs that were stratified as mothers with young children, mothers-in-law, and husbands, across 12 different villages. Analysis of the KIIs and FGDs included NVivo software for coding and to uncover the most salient themes and characteristics from each. The participants of this study reported several misconceptions and taboos surrounding certain foods, especially during pregnancy, and food practices for children under the age of 5 years. Results also indicated a household hierarchy of decision-making surrounding food that included who buys, cooks, and decides what to buy. The findings of this study will be used as a springboard to launch gender-responsive and nutrition-sensitive interventions through the local agricultural extension agents.