{"id":20236,"date":"2019-11-11T16:54:39","date_gmt":"2019-11-11T16:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/?p=20236"},"modified":"2020-01-06T10:27:38","modified_gmt":"2020-01-06T10:27:38","slug":"curiosity-discomfort-new-understanding-an-insiders-account-of-our-latest-health-environment-research","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/curiosity-discomfort-new-understanding-an-insiders-account-of-our-latest-health-environment-research\/","title":{"rendered":"Curiosity, discomfort, new understanding: an insider\u2019s account of our latest health-environment research"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blue Ventures has been implementing <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blueventures.org\/conservation\/approach\/phe\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">integrated health-environment programmes<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in Madagascar for more than a decade: combining family planning and other health services with local marine management and alternative coastal livelihood initiatives. So how did it feel when we placed these programmes under scrutiny?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The intersection of human emotions, organisational culture and scientific research is not often spoken about. But part of what made this research process so special and illuminating was those very dimensions. We set off with much excitement and some trepidation \u2013 delighted to finally be undertaking the study that we\u2019d been dreaming about for years, yet unsure of what we might be about to uncover.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Diving deep<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Previous research in the health-environment field has investigated whether integrated programmes generate better outcomes than single-sector interventions: does 1+1 = 3? Comparative studies such as <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/journals\/environmental-conservation\/article\/integrated-management-of-coastal-resources-and-human-health-yields-added-value-a-comparative-study-in-palawan-philippines\/EFA41A95F807159966B3EC5E276382DB\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">this one<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> conducted by the PATH Foundation in the Philippines are often held up as the gold standard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More recently though, as organisations seek to refine and scale these programmes, our community of practice is diving deeper with a different set of questions. We\u2019re no longer asking whether integrated programmes generate better outcomes, but rather <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">how <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">they do this: if the equation is indeed 1+1 = 3, what alchemy is at work here and how can we replicate it?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To take the plunge with these questions, we started by mapping out our key theories of change \u2013 established ways of thinking that are shared by many of our health-environment peers. We dubbed these \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.blueventures.org\/madagascar-health-environment\/#section_9\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the goodwill effect<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d, \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.blueventures.org\/madagascar-health-environment\/#section_11\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the fertility effect<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d and \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.blueventures.org\/madagascar-health-environment\/#section_13\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the empowerment effect<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d \u2013 all pathways through which increasing access to family planning might contribute to more effective biodiversity conservation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We then set about collecting a range of data \u2013 both quantitative and qualitative \u2013 in our longest-running Madagascar programme site so that we could map onto these theories of change to confirm or refute them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our integrated social survey \u2013 encompassing a variety of health, environment and livelihood indicators at the household and individual levels \u2013 was a thrilling first! It allowed us to analyse not only the outcomes of our different programmes but also the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interactions <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">between these outcomes (potential associations between different variables) \u2013 precisely where we believed the magic might be happening. The survey also included open-ended \u2018<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.betterevaluation.org\/plan\/approach\/most_significant_change\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">most significant change<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019 questions which provided in-depth insights to complement the statistics.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20241\" style=\"width: 2058px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20241\" class=\"wp-image-20241 size-full lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/73293673_767426757064106_7903858079505055744_n.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1356\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/73293673_767426757064106_7903858079505055744_n.jpg 1600w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/73293673_767426757064106_7903858079505055744_n-98x65.jpg 98w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/73293673_767426757064106_7903858079505055744_n-539x357.jpg 539w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/73293673_767426757064106_7903858079505055744_n-729x483.jpg 729w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/73293673_767426757064106_7903858079505055744_n-2000x1324.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/73293673_767426757064106_7903858079505055744_n-1300x861.jpg 1300w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/73293673_767426757064106_7903858079505055744_n-300x199.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 2048px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 2048\/1356;\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20241\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: Brian Jones<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Productive tension<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The research process wasn\u2019t all plain sailing. Assumptions were challenged, long-held beliefs were met with contradictory evidence, and big questions were raised. How did we weather these storms? Two key elements stand out: the push-pull dynamic within our team and the courage inherent in our organisational values.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0959378018306186\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The study<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> was led by Rebecca Singleton, a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia who was also employed by Blue Ventures. At once an insider and an outsider, she brought a critical eye to the research and a strong commitment to holistic rights-based conservation work. Allied with our curiosity and a deep respect for our programmes, this kind of \u2018oppositional collaboration\u2019 proved to be extremely valuable. Together we were able to lean into difficult questions and surprising findings, pressing each other to let go of unfounded assumptions while remaining rooted in a belief in the value of this work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although different members of the team displayed varying levels of comfort with having their thinking challenged, ultimately we were all committed to deepening our understanding of our programming \u2013 whatever the revelations and results. A thirst for learning that\u2019s hard-wired into Blue Ventures\u2019 DNA trumped any attachment to established health-environment credos.<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our organisational culture of openness and humility created a safe space for questioning, self-reflection and new thinking.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Arresting findings, critical questions<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">After months of cleaning and coding the data, the results were finally in! Family planning services were found to be highly valued by communities. Users reported experiencing better physical and mental health, being able <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">to work and earn more, provide better for their children and focus on longer-term priorities such as better housing, savings and the future of fish stocks. Contraceptive uptake had more than doubled since we started supporting these services.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But some of our findings stopped us in our tracks. When family planning users in the Velondriake Locally Managed Marine Area said they appreciated being able to fish more with their free time, so that they could provide better for each of their children, we were alarmed. Could family planning be intensifying fishing activity and pressure on marine ecosystems \u2013 at least in the short term? Yet it also made intuitive sense. Of course people in this low-income context were working to raise their living standards even as they chose to space or limit their births.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This discovery raised some critical questions: Were we doing enough to support communities to secure food and income in ecologically sustainable ways? Should we be considering <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blueventures.org\/conservation\/aquaculture\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">livelihood diversification<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as an essential third dimension in our health-environment work?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Other findings pushed us even further. Women who used family planning weren\u2019t any more engaged in local resource management efforts than non-users. There was no magic empowerment pill here. And so we asked ourselves: What other initiatives might be needed to address restrictive gender norms? Tackling pressing healthcare priorities can certainly address \u00a0 one barrier to community engagement in marine conservation, but complementary initiatives that address other barriers are needed too.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_20246\" style=\"width: 1450px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-20246\" class=\"size-full wp-image-20246 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/GHC00490605082013_preview.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1440\" height=\"960\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/GHC00490605082013_preview.jpg 1440w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/GHC00490605082013_preview-98x65.jpg 98w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/GHC00490605082013_preview-536x357.jpg 536w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/GHC00490605082013_preview-725x483.jpg 725w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/GHC00490605082013_preview-450x300.jpg 450w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/GHC00490605082013_preview-1300x867.jpg 1300w, https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2019\/11\/GHC00490605082013_preview-300x200.jpg 300w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1440px) 100vw, 1440px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 1440px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 1440\/960;\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-20246\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Photo: Garth Cripps<\/p><\/div>\n<p><b>Fresh insights, strengthened convictions<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Letting go of established health-environment thinking has been a gradual process for our team \u2013 at once challenging and liberating. In its place we\u2019ve been able to welcome in a more nuanced understanding of health-environment dynamics that\u2019s allowing us to refine our own programming and technical advice to partner organisations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Rather than trying to draw a direct line from family planning through to conservation outcomes, we\u2019ve come to embrace a more messy reality. We see that improved healthcare must be set alongside livelihood diversification, gender equality and local management initiatives in order to advance conservation. Family planning is not a panacea, but it is highly valued by communities and can open the door to new opportunities for engagement.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our research, presented in full <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.blueventures.org\/madagascar-health-environment\/#section_1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, has further affirmed our rights-based commitment to this holistic way of working. The healthcare support that we provide clearly isn\u2019t predicated on any expectation of immediate conservation benefits. It\u2019s part of a wider <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.fao.org\/3\/a-i4356en.pdf\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">constellation of human rights<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> \u2013 to reproductive choice, health, food, decent work, education, property tenure and much more \u2013 that must be respected and upheld for communities to be able to manage their fisheries sustainably.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We share our experiences here as an invitation to our peers to dig into their own health-environment programmes and assumptions with courage, openness and humility. You may hit some rocks at first \u2013 uncovering gaps and potential unintended consequences \u2013 but beyond that there\u2019s treasure to be found! We\u2019re moving forward with a deeper understanding of the interconnected challenges faced by our partner communities and a more holistic approach than ever.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p><b><i>Conservation, contraception and controversy: Supporting human rights to enable sustainable fisheries in Madagascar <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">has just been published in <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0959378018306186\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Global Environmental Change<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Visit this <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/discover.blueventures.org\/madagascar-health-environment\/#section_1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">interactive webpage<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for an overview of the key findings\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learn more about how Blue Ventures\u2019 integrated health-environment programming has lead to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blueventures.org\/new-research-integrated-health-environment-programme-leads-contraceptive-uptake-fertility-decline\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">contraceptive uptake in Velondriake<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How did it feel when we placed our integrated health-environment programme under scrutiny?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":77,"featured_media":20237,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[345,622,673],"tags":[505,739],"class_list":["post-20236","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-health","category-madagascar","category-working-holistically","tag-family-planning","tag-new-research"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.8 - 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