Journal of Animal Research and Nutrition

Introduction

Agriculture, being a vital provider of food, feed and income is anintrinsic part of ‘One Health’ (OH). Poor plant health management leadsto crop losses, mycotoxins, pesticide residues, pathogen contaminationand environmental pollution, thereby affecting the health of humans,animals and ecosystems [1]. Similarly, poor health among farmers, forexample due to malnutrition or HIV/AIDS, negatively influences cropand livestock health through loss of labour and reallocation of resourcesfor managing crop and animal health [2]. For most of the 2.6 billionpeople depending on smallholder farming systems, livestock are es-sential for maintaining soil fertility and providing draught power,transportation, income and nutrition [3]. Despite decades of appeals for integrated, interdisciplinary andtransdisciplinary approaches to surveillance, prevention and healnterventions, the OH developments continue within compartmenta-lised structural governance and policy frameworks [4,5] and narrowOH concepts and practices dominated by zoonoses [1]. Little attentionhas been paid to integrating health services across sectors to improvehealth outcomes, particularly in low-income settings where these ser-vices are scarce and often of low quality [4].Recent initiatives provide promising examples of integrated cross-sectoral approaches to health service delivery for plants, animals, hu-mans and environment. These include the delivery of joint human and animal vaccination campaigns in remote and resource-poor areas [4].Some countries have included nutrition into the curriculum of agri-cultural extension agents to address the causes of malnutrition [5]. Arecent study from Uganda demonstrated the potential for integratinghealth services around ‘village health teams’ as a single point wherehuman, animal and plant health issues can be referred [1]. Another example is the combination of public health and veterinary services tocontrol rabies in India [1]. CABI's work with plant clinics1over the last15 years has helped stimulate new ideas on the delivery of farmerservices with health benefits beyond plants. By promoting integratedpest management, good postharvest practices and safe use of pesticides,the plant clinics contribute to the health of humans and the environ-ment [2]. Inadvertently, plant clinics have also become a mechanismto establish farmers' demand for advice on animals. In some countries,plant doctors, on an informal basis, regularly answer farmers' querieson animals because often there is no one else to consult [3,4]. Suchcross-sectoral health services are under-researched [ 5] .The purpose of this short communication is to make a case for theintegrated crop and livestock service delivery given the governance andmarket failure problems in the provision of these health care services.

The paper examines the current state of joint plant-animal health ser-vice delivery through plant clinics in mixed farming areas, to provide aclear understanding of farmers' needs for animal advice and the feasi-bility of integrating plant and animal health services. Using data from a plant doctor survey and stakeholder consultation, the paper suggestsways to investigate how agricultural support services can be more integrated across the plant, animal, and human divides to improve thehealth and livelihoods of rural communities

References

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