The SELEVER study is a five-year impact evaluation in Burkina Faso designed to address key knowledge gaps on the impact of poultry value chain interventions on the diets, health and nutritional status of women and children.

The SELEVER study is a five-year impact evaluation in Burkina Faso designed to address key knowledge gaps on the impact of poultry value chain interventions on the diets, health and nutritional status of women and children.

"Multisectoral action (MSA) has been a long-standing priority of health systems. The objective is to improve health status and health equity through policy implementation and organizational practice. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals reinforced the realization that health inequities cannot be addressed by one sector alone. Despite the key importance of the need to work across sectors, there remains little evidence to indicate how these multisectoral processes actually function in implementation or in the local policy environment. This gap in our knowledge on local governance has repercussions for our understanding and influence on policy outcomes and effectiveness. In this thesis, I address and bridge this knowledge gap by mapping, understanding, and explaining the implementation of a multisectoral policy in health. Using the case study of the district level implementation of the National Tobacco Control Policy in India, I examine the multi-level context (national and state) and political processes to better understand how multisectoral action and governance practices at the local level are implemented. Furthermore, by detailing multi-level issues related to providing a supportive policy environment, this research aims to show how the more effective implementation of such important public health policies can have a better impact on outcomes.The dissertation begins with a review of the literature on multisectoral action which goes beyond the health literature alone. The meta-narrative review presents a conceptualization and enquiry of multisectoral action across different applied knowledge domains in health, public administration, political science, and environmental sciences. Second, an analysis of the national and state-level policy context by means of a policy landscaping study of the National Tobacco Control in India was conducted, including a review of key drivers for collaboration. Third, a mixed-methods explanatory design study considers local implementation of multisectoral action in tobacco control in two districts in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. This district-level study maps the actual implementation structure, the key actors involved and the relationships between them using social network analysis (SNA) and then using a qualitative enquiry enables understanding of perspectives and experiences of actors regarding their perceived roles and multisectoral governance practices using complexity-oriented network governance theory.The overall thesis findings suggest that multisectoral policies and practices need to be supported by a nurturing multi-level (national and state) policy environment that provides adequate decision space and leadership at the local level, leaving space for experimentation and adaptation in line with local conditions. The district-level implementation highlights adaptive governance practices used to navigate hierarchical and authoritative structures. There is evidence of an early shift in these districts towards a more agile form of governance, which maybe more conducive to multisectoral implementation. At the national and state level, policy formulation and adoption require a collaborative effort through leadership across multiple levels and sectors. These processes are politically embedded; however, the presence of a legal framework, adequate implementation structure, advocacy and mobilization can provide momentum for national and state level action and support local level action and adaptation.The research presented in this thesis contributes to a better understanding of a multisectoral policy's actual governance practices at a district level, in a LMIC context. The knowledge generated around policy implementation processes contributes to health systems and policy research and helps facilitate thinking and action on multisectoral policies in diverse LMIC settings"--

Due to a variety of global challenges in recent times, the dissolution of traditional boundaries between academic disciplines has given rise to a pressing need for innovative problem-solving. Complex issues affect our societies, spanning healthcare, social sciences, organizational behavior, and technology. This shifting landscape necessitates a comprehensive exploration into the interconnections between these diverse fields. The book, Multisector Insights in Healthcare, Social Sciences, Society, and Technology, is an innovative guide that seeks to examine the relationships between various fields of knowledge. It celebrates the transformative impact of applied research and interdisciplinary collaboration as the driving force behind overcoming the most significant challenges of our time. As the boundaries between disciplines blur, the book takes readers on a journey through multifaceted issues at the intersection of healthcare, social sciences, organizational behavior, and technology. Chapters within this book unravel the complexities of healthcare ethics, global health initiatives, organizational dynamics, and technological advancements. Through literature reviews, qualitative and quantitative studies, and real-world case analyses, the compendium not only identifies the problems but also offers concrete, evidence-backed solutions. This interdisciplinary approach underscores the need to address the pressing challenges of our time, emphasizing the need for collaborative strategies to drive positive change.

The SELEVER study is a five-year impact evaluation designed to address key knowledge gaps on the impact of a poultry value chain intervention on the diets, health, and nutritional status of women and children in Burkina Faso. This report uses qualitative methods to examine gendered participation in poultry value chains, the gendered opportunities and barriers experienced in poultry value chains, and the SELEVER program’s impact on these factors. A previous report (Eissler et al., 2020) based on the same fieldwork covered questions relating to local understandings of empowerment and dynamics of household food production and allocation. Six villages across five provinces were purposively selected for this study. Data were collected using multiple qualitative methods. In each village, we conducted four sex-disaggregated focus group discussions and semi-structured individual interviews with a man and a woman from two different households. Sex-disaggregated seasonal calendars were created for half of the villages. Interviews were also conducted with project service providers in each community, including group leaders (n=13), voluntary vaccinators (n=10), and poultry traders (n=6). A mix of inductive and deductive coding guided the thematic analysis of the data. The results indicate that while women in the study areas do engage in agricultural labor and various income-generating activities, they must prioritize their domestic responsibilities. Men are primarily responsible for providing staple food ingredients (e.g. grains or meat) for household consumption and earning the primary income, which often requires them to engage in seasonal migration. Men are increasingly aware of women’s time and unpaid labor burdens, and have started sharing in these tasks, a shift in which participants attribute to SELEVER. Additionally, we find that SELEVER has increased women’s capacity and opportunity to engage in poultry value chain activities while reducing barriers to their participation. SELEVER has trained selected women to practice as Village Volunteer Vaccinators (VVVs), which has enabled them to earn additional income. Notably, SELEVER has been effective in challenging and facilitating changing perceptions on traditional gender norms, such that men are increasingly supportive of their wives to engage in income-generating activities or activities outside of the household. Results highlight the importance of SELEVER’s engagement with men, as women’s ability to participate in activities outside of traditional gendered boundaries relies on their husbands’ permission. Without it, a woman cannot raise poultry, cultivate her own crops, practice as a VVV, or participate in women’s associations or income-generating activities. Despite evidence of success, barriers to women’s full participation persist. A lack of sufficient financial capital and autonomy in decision making limit women’s ability to improve upon and manage their poultry endeavors. A lack of financial capacity and time, limited freedom of movement, and restricting social norms further limit women’s ability to practice as service providers in the value chain. SELEVER can continue to address challenging social norms and focus on these more nuanced barriers women face in increasing their capacity for participation.