Natural resource management and human health: the forgotten link?

Almost 75% of the world’s poorest people (around 3 billion) depend on agriculture, forestry or fisheries to secure their work and household income. It is estimated that agricultural productivity will have to double over the next few decades to keep up with population growth. Many of the technologies developed to extend agricultural productivity also have beneficial impacts upon human health and well-being. Links between natural resources research and better health for the poor have been constantly under-valued, with limited formal interaction and lesson learning between the two sectors. What can be done to overcome these sectoral divisions in development research and policy?

All the contributors to this edition of Insights Health are managers of natural resource research programmes, funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID). The various authors attempt, through a thematic approach, to give their perspective on how agricultural research is related to the concerns of the health community. The authors also aim to identify potential starting points for better interaction and more cohesive policy-making in future years.

Global trends affecting research and policy development

Researchers and policy-makers contemplating actions and strategies to reduce poverty face several interrelated global trends which further complicate and impact upon all sectors of development research and practice.

The global HIV/AIDS pandemic is having a catastrophic impact not only on human health, but also in terms of a decline in social structures and new patterns of family composition. Communities in rural areas are amongst the hardest hit, with declines in agricultural production, labour availability and income, coupled with dramatic increases in expenditure on medical treatment and transport. Those affected are often forced to turn to less nutritious and less economically valuable crops that are easier or less risky to produce. The loss of generations with agricultural insights and knowledge may be felt for decades to come. Better understanding is needed of how these changes are affecting community decision-making and ‘coping’ strategies. Richards shows how labour saving technologies and practices, particularly aimed at improving women’s health are increasingly important. Palmer discusses the potential of medicinal tree bark to alleviate symptoms of AIDS. Improved family nutrition and a better diet are also vital in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Muir suggests ways of improving access to and consumption of vitamins, proteins and micronutrients. Kimmins deliberates how existing agricultural networks can be used to facilitate the spread of health messages including those for HIV/AIDS.

Increasing rural-urban migration is swelling urban populations in many developing countries and leading to huge changes in the nature of food systems, food security, and food consumption patterns, which are resulting in new areas of concern for health and agricultural policy-makers. Witcombe and Sanchez describe how a rise in peri-urban and urban agriculture is changing the nature of food production. Maudlin states that this may lead to new human and animal disease risks, including ‘zoonotic’ diseases commonly shared and transmitted between humans and animals. He also points to new approaches for controlling these diseases, but emphasises their reliance on effective co-operation between medical and veterinary services.

Donaldson discusses how poor storage, food preparation and processing conditions can lead to food contamination jeopardising human and animal health, and suggests some mechanisms and technologies to address these. He also suggests that improved quality of produce can increase family incomes by opening up new local and international markets. These changing production systems and consumption patterns need to be monitored closely to ensure that new human health risks are addressed through better disease control and more hygienic food production. Safeguards also need to be put in place to ensure that the drive for better food quality and safety, partially dictated by international trading bodies, does not unintentionally marginalise the very poor people it is intended to help.

Increased terrorism and Geo-political instability present an era of global uncertainty. International partnerships for natural resources research aim to achieve a healthy natural environment, enhanced economic prosperity and healthy, secure people. They also provide non-threatening examples of co-operation which can help to prevent outbreaks of conflict, famine or civil unrest. Many natural resources such as water, forests or fisheries, and crop or livestock pests and diseases do not remain within territorial borders, so transboundary management and regional co-operation may be necessary.

A central question is how to maximise efficient and effective use of natural resources, particularly in forests and fisheries, to ensure environmental, economic and social sustainability and attain long-term improvements in human health and security. Palmer claims that to achieve this, it is vital that research is demand-led and participatory and that lessons are learnt and built upon local knowledge and the capabilities of poor people. Many of these peope have multiple sources of livelihoods and their daily survival depends upon thinking more widely than typical sectoral interventions in agriculture or health. However, intellectual property rights in relation to commercial exploitation of local knowledge are a potential conflict that will need to be addressed.

Climate change and increasing water scarcity threaten the world’s capacity to feed a growing population and preserve the Earth’s fragile environment. Global temperatures may rise 3 to 6 degrees centigrade in the next 100 years, requiring new management strategies to stop the anticipated decline in farm productivity due to more pests, diseases and drought. Witcombe and Sanchez discuss how research helps to overcome the vulnerability of the poor to production ‘shocks’ such as adverse weather conditions and pests and diseases in growing, storing and processing food. Alongside socio-economic research to tackle inequalities in distribution and access to resources, research can also lead to cheaper food prices for consumers, giving them more disposable income to spend on other priorities such as school fees or health care. Beddington and Floyd show how community reservoirs can protect local fish populations during dry seasons and provide a source of protein. They also examine how traditional conflicts between agriculture and the environment can compromise food safety and human health, and suggest that improved farming practices or technologies such as integrated pest management may provide ‘win-win’ solutions for all concerned.

Better co-ordination between sectors

The wide-ranging nature of these trends suggests they should not be tackled in isolation. It is only through sharing policy lessons and understanding linkages across development sectors that the eradication of poverty can move beyond rhetoric. Kimmins profiles some examples of successful cross-sectoral collaboration and shows how novel partnerships between the public and private sector are in many cases, already proving very effective in delivering change. The DFID research programmes featured in this issue have invested in networks and partnerships with developing countries that provide greater opportunities for longer-term sustainable promotion, delivery and uptake of technologies. However, greater efforts are needed to engage further with other sectors. To this end, the articles that follow are a first step in outlining a few examples of research projects and resulting policy lessons which are likely to be of interest to health, agriculture and other policy-makers and researchers worldwide.

Kerry Albright
Social Development Adviser
Natural Resources International Ltd.
Park House
Bradbourne Lane
Aylesford
Kent ME20 6SN
UK
T +44 (0) 1732 878683
F +44 (0) 1732 220497
k.albright@nrint.co.uk
www.nrinternational.co.uk

Elizabeth Warham
Deputy Programme Manager
Central Research Department
UK Department for International Development
1 Palace Street
London SW1E 5HE
UK
T +44 (0) 20 702 30481
F +44 (0) 20 702 0105
E-Warham@dfid.gov.uk
www.dfid.gov.uk

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