Agriculture-associated diseases: Adapting agriculture to improve human health

Agriculture is critical for human welfare, providing food, employment, income, and assets. In the past, agricultural research and development largely focused on improving production, productivity, and profitability of agricultural enterprises. Nutrition and other benefits of agriculture were not alw...

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Main Authors: McDermott, John J., Grace, Delia
Format: Conference Paper
Language:Inglés
Published: International Food Policy Research Institute 2011
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/3149
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author McDermott, John J.
Grace, Delia
author_browse Grace, Delia
McDermott, John J.
author_facet McDermott, John J.
Grace, Delia
author_sort McDermott, John J.
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Agriculture is critical for human welfare, providing food, employment, income, and assets. In the past, agricultural research and development largely focused on improving production, productivity, and profitability of agricultural enterprises. Nutrition and other benefits of agriculture were not always optimized, while the negative impacts on health, well-being, and the environment were often ignored. This was especially problematic for livestock systems, with especially complex negative and positive impacts on human health and well-being. An important negative effect of agricultural intensification is disease. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a notorious example of a disease that was fostered by intensified agricultural production and spread through lengthened poultry value chains and the global movement of people and animals. Large-scale irrigation projects, designed to increase agriculture productivity, have created ecosystems conducive to schistosomiasis and Rift Valley fever. The responses to disease threats are often compartmentalized. Instead of analyzing the tradeoffs between agricultural benefits and risks, the agriculture sector focuses on productivity, while the health sector focuses on managing disease. A careful look at the epidemiology of diseases associated with agriculture, and past experience of control efforts, shows that successful management must be systems-based rather than sectorally designed.
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spelling CGSpace31492025-11-04T16:34:12Z Agriculture-associated diseases: Adapting agriculture to improve human health McDermott, John J. Grace, Delia Agriculture is critical for human welfare, providing food, employment, income, and assets. In the past, agricultural research and development largely focused on improving production, productivity, and profitability of agricultural enterprises. Nutrition and other benefits of agriculture were not always optimized, while the negative impacts on health, well-being, and the environment were often ignored. This was especially problematic for livestock systems, with especially complex negative and positive impacts on human health and well-being. An important negative effect of agricultural intensification is disease. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a notorious example of a disease that was fostered by intensified agricultural production and spread through lengthened poultry value chains and the global movement of people and animals. Large-scale irrigation projects, designed to increase agriculture productivity, have created ecosystems conducive to schistosomiasis and Rift Valley fever. The responses to disease threats are often compartmentalized. Instead of analyzing the tradeoffs between agricultural benefits and risks, the agriculture sector focuses on productivity, while the health sector focuses on managing disease. A careful look at the epidemiology of diseases associated with agriculture, and past experience of control efforts, shows that successful management must be systems-based rather than sectorally designed. 2011-02-01 2011-02-08T10:20:21Z 2011-02-08T10:20:21Z Conference Paper https://hdl.handle.net/10568/3149 en Open Access application/pdf International Food Policy Research Institute McDermott, J. and Grace, D. 2011. Agriculture-associated diseases: Adapting agriculture to improve human health. IFPRI 2020 Conference Brief 18. Washington, D.C.: IFPRI. https://hdl.handle.net/10568/3149
spellingShingle McDermott, John J.
Grace, Delia
Agriculture-associated diseases: Adapting agriculture to improve human health
title Agriculture-associated diseases: Adapting agriculture to improve human health
title_full Agriculture-associated diseases: Adapting agriculture to improve human health
title_fullStr Agriculture-associated diseases: Adapting agriculture to improve human health
title_full_unstemmed Agriculture-associated diseases: Adapting agriculture to improve human health
title_short Agriculture-associated diseases: Adapting agriculture to improve human health
title_sort agriculture associated diseases adapting agriculture to improve human health
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/3149
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