SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD AND ECONOMIC SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA: WOMEN EMPOWERMENT … · 2020. 10. 8. · Security Nexus Conversation . SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD AND ECONOMIC SECURITY IN

Security Nexus Conversation

SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD AND ECONOMIC

SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA: WOMEN

EMPOWERMENT IS KEY An Interview with Melissa R. Finley, DVM, PhD, DACVIM at Sandia National Laboratories

By Melissa R. Finley, Dr. Al Shimkus and Dr. Saira Yamin *

Dr. Melissa Finley is a Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff in the Global Chemical and Biological Security group at Sandia National Laboratories. Her primary efforts focus on development and implementation of strategic and sustainable biological risk reduction programs globally, with emphasis on Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan where she works or has worked closely with government partners to build comprehensive biosecurity programs through the enhancement of laboratory security, improved diagnostic methods, infectious disease control, and strengthening veterinary sectors to improve animal health.

The full video podcast interview is available at this link.

* Dr. Al Shimkus and Dr. Saira Yamin are professors at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) in Honolulu, USA. The views expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the DKI APCSS or the United States Government.

https://youtu.be/nZun8pi3T1Q

SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD AND ECONOMIC SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA: WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IS KEY

2 Security Nexus: Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies

Dr. Finley with trainees at Women’s Veterinary Training. Kabul, Afghanistan, January 2015.

Saira Yamin (SY): Dr. Finley, please tell us about the work you do at Sandia Labs.

Melissa Finley (MF): I am with the Global Chemical and Biological Security Group, which resides within the Center for Global Security and Cooperation. And as the names implies, we work cooperatively with many countries to reduce the risk that chemical and/or biological materials can be accidentally or intentionally released with the overarching goal of improving US national security. Much of this work is largely accomplished through enhancement of biological and/or chemical safety and security in various sectors.

As a veterinarian, I concentrate on the veterinary sector. Therefore, my colleagues and I have worked to improve laboratory safety and security in several veterinary laboratories in South Asia. We continue to carry out this work, but most of our collaborating partners have become very good at laboratory safety and security and no longer need our help. As a result, we expanded our work to the clinical veterinary sector in hopes of reducing the spread of livestock and zoonotic diseases in Afghanistan and improving disease surveillance. We provided and continue to provide training courses focused on clinical competencies and the detection, prevention, and control of infectious diseases and all of this fits



fairly well into our overall goal of improving the safe handling and security of pathogens in the veterinary sector.

Then I met Captain Shimkus at a conference, and he encouraged me to think more broadly about how animals might impact other areas of national security such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, stability operations, and even the empowerment of women. Consequently while achieving our group's primary objective of reducing the incidence of naturally occurring infectious diseases of livestock, so that fewer pathogens exist in nature to be further propagated through natural or intentional spread, we also started to consider the role that animals played in regional stability -- building resiliency, empowering women, improving one health, and supporting nonproliferation.

Al Shimkus (AS): What is relationship between animal health and security in fragile states?

MF: Animal Health and Agriculture are extremely important in fragile states. Here in the U.S. and in many other industrialized countries, we don't always think about the value of agriculture in the context of livelihoods, public health, and security. If we do, it is usually only a small subset of the population that is considered.

However, in other areas of the world fraught with conflict, poverty, and instability, agriculture, both crop-based and livestock-based play a very significant role in economic productivity, livelihood development and public health. It is well known that poor, undernourished, and ill populations are more vulnerable to conflict. This was highlighted in the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) publication, The 2017 State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World. In this document, the FAO explicitly made the connection between poverty and conflict. Part 2 of the document was dedicated to security. It is entitled: Conflict, Food Security and Nutrition: The Imperative of Sustainable Peace. It states that food insecurity

Dr. Finley providing veterinary training for university students and clinical veterinarians.



and malnutrition are a direct result of conflict, and alternatively food insecurity and malnutrition can worsen conflict.

For years the FAO has repeatedly demonstrated that agriculture is consistently the largest source of income and livelihoods for rural households in the developing world. It provides more than 50 percent of household revenue; thus agricultural productivity has the potential to reduce poverty better than growth in other sectors. In the agricultural sector, livestock contribute to approximately 40 percent of the global value of agricultural output and provide livelihoods and food security for nearly a billion people, most of which are poor small-scale farmers. In addition, animal source food provides essentials nutrients for growth, immune function and brain development; and thus, help support community and societal development and wellbeing in addition to providing economic value.

Unfortunately, 30 percent of livestock production is lost because of animal diseases. Sick animals do not efficiently grow for meat production, produce milk, produce eggs, and are not reproductively efficient, so they can't multiply. Thus, reducing animal/livestock diseases will largely help increase the food supply (reducing malnutrition) and will increase income for farmers because of increased production.

Additionally, controlling certain animal diseases that are infectious to humans (zoonotic) will help improve public health. 60 percent of existing human infectious diseases are zoonotic. One very good example is Brucellosis; Brucellosis is widespread across the globe in both human and animal populations. According to a publication by Franc et. al. in 2018, "Brucellosis places significant burdens on the human healthcare system and limits the economic growth of individuals, communities, and nations where such development is especially important to diminish the prevalence of poverty." So that was the long way of saying healthy animals can improve community productivity, reduce malnutrition, and improve public health, all of which are important drivers to improve security and stability.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451943X18301455#:%7E:text=Franc%20et%20al.,respectively%20in%20Africa%20and%20Asia.



Dr. Finley treating sick calf, Men’s Clinical Veterinary Training, Maiden Shar, Wardak, Afghanistan. June 2011.

SY: What role do women play in building peace and security in Afghanistan? What has been your role in empowering them?

MF: I believe that women can help improve livestock productivity in Afghanistan, and therefore, support economic development, contribute to sustainable livelihood development and improve food security. In general, nearly a billion of the world's poor rely on livestock for food, income, work, and/or societal status and women comprise two-thirds of this population. And in many cases, women are the primary caretakers for livestock in the family setting and even on small farms.

In Afghanistan this also appears to be the case. I was told by the Director of the Afghanistan Veterinary Association that approximately 80 percent of families have some sort of livestock unit that is used for food and/or income. In addition, a group of women veterinary professionals in Herat Province suggested that between 50 and 75 percent of families rely on livestock. And these women also indicated that there were more women farmers than men. This becomes extremely important in Afghanistan, because the main source of income is agriculture, while crops predominate, sheep farming is also extremely important to the economy - and poultry – both contributing significantly to the food supply.

So I believe that engaging women in the area of livestock disease control and prevention is extremely important to the agricultural sector. If 30 percent of animal productivity is lost because of diseases, it is important to have trained women veterinary professionals who can work with the women farmers to control infectious diseases and improve productivity. In places like Afghanistan, it may be difficult for women farmers to work with a male veterinary professional due to cultural issues. Therefore,



engaging women veterinary professionals has many benefits. Firstly, it provides women farmers with the ability to interact with a woman veterinary professional to help them with their animals. Secondly, it indirectly improves animal productivity through better or more accessible veterinary care. And thirdly, it provides a livelihood or profession for the women veterinary professionals. The Dutch Committee for Afghanistan has done an exceptional job of developing women para veterinary professionals and providing them with the means to serve the community.

I have been fortunate enough to have the opportunity to provide training to a group of women para veterinarians and to work closely with a smaller group to develop additional training activities for women para veterinarians. The trainings are aimed at detecting, preventing, and controlling infectious diseases and improving husbandry practices, all of which, hopefully, help improve animal productivity and health in the region.

Woman participant presenting at veterinary training, Kabul, Afghanistan. Fall 2014.



AS: What are some of the challenges you face as a Western professional working in traditionally patriarchal societies where women's public mobility is restricted?

Initially, it was challenging. I started working with Afghan veterinary professionals in 2010 in Wardak Province, which is an extremely conservative part of Afghanistan. I was part of a larger delegation consisting of the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who orchestrated our movements and helped initiate the activities we pursued. Of course, all the participants were men, and as a result, nobody really wanted to listen to me. The first few days of the training did not go very well because I did not really understand their skill level or what type of training was needed, and because I am a woman. On the third day, a farmer brought in a very sick calf, and nobody really wanted to deal with it because it was so sick, and I honestly believe they did not know what to do. I was asked by the leader of our delegation if there was anything I could do for the calf. Fortunately, I spent a great deal of my prior career working on sick calves, so I said that I could if I had the permission of the head of the clinic to proceed. Because they lacked the necessary equipment and medicines to treat the calf, I gave one of the assistants $20 and asked him to purchase what we needed from the market. When he returned, I began to treat the calf but received much push back from the veterinary staff. They felt that giving the calf fluids would worsen her condition. I assured them that I had done this many times and that it would help. We gave the calf fluids and antibiotics, and within an hour, the calf was alert and anxious to drink milk. Everyone was very surprised that the treatment worked, and after that, I was a respected part of their community. I believe that western women, with an established relationship, are treated differently than local women. Relationship building is essential. I have always been professional and respectful of the culture and of their experience, and as a result, I have not encountered too many difficulties. A few of the guys were challenging, but ultimately respected my experience and knowledge of veterinary medicine and I respected theirs. I also learned a tremendous amount from all of them. They work in extremely austere conditions and have limited tools, medicines, and diagnostic tests.

Dr. Finley demonstrating use of a urine dipstick, Afghanistan Veterinary Association veterinary training. Kabul, Afghanistan. (Date unknown).



SY: What are the advantages of being a woman in your role in community empowerment in Afghanistan and elsewhere?

MF: The obvious advantage in Afghanistan is working with women veterinary professionals and providing them with advanced training to improve their capabilities. The training gives them additional credibility and therefore helps expand their client base. As a woman, it is easier for me to deliver these trainings and interact with the women. The women are far more comfortable in a room with another woman than they are with a man. It was much easier for them to interact with me than my male counterpart.

In other parts of the world, I have had the opportunity to promote gender balance in the veterinary field. One example is in Pakistan. I discussed the issue of training women para veterinarans to provide veterinary care to women farmers in rural communities with a provincial animal health director and with faculty members at several universities. They all felt it was very much needed. They all felt that women veterinary professionals could interact more effectively with women farmers.

Over the past several years, I think many countries have moved toward providing women with more opportunities. Pakistan has a significant number of women facility members in their veterinary colleges, and these women even provide instruction to men. This is very apparent in urban areas. While they still may not be afforded the same opportunities, I have seen significant progress over the years.

Dr. Finley after evaluation of a Bizkashi horse for lameness. Afghanistan Veterinary Association veterinary training. Kabul, Afghanistan. (Date unknown).



AS: What can the Afghan government do to empower women? How can they positively influence cultural norms and values shaping gender norms?

MF: In general, I think much of the responsibility resides within the Ministry of Higher Education. The more women who are able to receive an education, the more opportunities they will have to influence societal norms.

The Ministry of Higher Education has already begun to admit more women into the veterinary profession. Herat University and Kabul University have several women veterinary students. In addition, people in cities are starting to keep pets (mostly cats but even dogs), and many believe that caring for domestic pets is a good job for women. However, I think their role in agricultural development needs to be more valued.

Because veterinary medicine is privatized in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Agriculture has a limited role in promoting women in the veterinary field unless they are hired into the government. The Dutch Committee for Afghanistan, a European based NGO, has done an outstanding job of empowering women in the veterinary community. They provide para veterinary training and provide the basic tools that they need to practice, thereby enabling them to carry out their work.

The Ministry of Higher Education can largely influence these norms by promoting women in the faculty and continuing to integrate women into the profession. And I believe they have already begun to do so. Over the last ten years, I believe the number of women in the profession has increased, and women seem more empowered to practice. Traveling alone to farms can be difficult unless they have a male escort, but hopefully, over time, this will change as well.

Dr. Finley with trainees. Afghanistan Veterinary Association veterinary training. Kabul, Afghanistan. (Date unknown.)



AS: What can be done to make security sector institutions more gender-inclusive in Afghanistan?

MF: That is a difficult question because I think the mindset in the security field is very different from that of the veterinary field. Therefore, I can only comment about the role that agriculture could play in improving stability. I think security institutions need to learn more about the benefits of improving community productivity and the value of agriculture from a stability perspective. I think once this becomes more obvious, they will see the role that women can play in improving animal health, and thus economic growth and creating sustainable livelihoods. I really do not think the value of agriculture is appreciated in the context of security in Afghanistan.

Dr. Finley with trainees. Men’s district veterinary training. Maiden Shar, Wardak, Afghanistan. Fall 2011.

SY: How has COVID-19 affected the progress of this and other programs?

MF: A few of our collaborating partners have been infected with COVID-19, even one of our woman trainers. Fortunately, all affected recovered. COVID-19 halted our ability to provide in-person training to our international partners. We have adapted to remote delivery, which works extremely well in the absence of COVID-19. However, we are constrained by numbers and cannot assemble groups larger than five in a room to prevent COVID-19 transmission. Therefore, we must have our partners log into remote platforms using a personal computer or mobile phone. Many do not own a phone or a computer, or cannot afford the internet.

Therefore, we are currently working on strategies to enable us to deliver training activities and/or hold meetings remotely, but I do not envision us traveling very soon.



Dr. Finley demonstrating collection of blood. Men’s district veterinary training. Maiden Shar, Wardak, Afghanistan. June 2011. (Photo credit: JJ Smith).

The views expressed in this article are the author’s alone, and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the DKI APCSS or the United States Government.

September 2020

Documents

SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD AND ECONOMIC SECURITY IN SOUTH ASIA: WOMEN EMPOWERMENT … · 2020. 10. 8. · Security Nexus Conversation . SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD AND ECONOMIC SECURITY IN