Natural resource management and human health: the forgotten link?

Almost 75% of the world’s poorest people (around 3 billion) are directly or indirectly dependent on the sustained productivity of agriculture, forestry or fisheries to secure their livelihoods, and it is estimated that productivity will have to double over the next few decades to keep up with population growth. Many of the technologies developed within agricultural research also have beneficial impacts upon human health and wellbeing, yet the 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 management research programmes, funded under the UK Department for International Development’s (DFID) ten-year ‘Renewable Natural Resources Research Strategy’ (RNRRS).  As such, the various authors attempt, through using a thematic approach, to give their perspective on how agricultural research is related to the concerns of the health community as well as 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 poverty reduction orientated actions and strategies face several cross-cutting global trends which are both further complicating and impacting 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 economically valuable crops that are easier or less risky to produce. The loss of intermediate 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. In this issue of Insights, Richards shows how labour saving technologies and practices, particularly aimed at improvements in the health of women, is of increasing importance, and Palmer discusses the potential of medicinal tree bark to alleviate symptoms of AIDS. Muir points to the need for improved family nutrition and better quality of diet and suggests manners of improving access to and consumption of vitamins, proteins and micronutrients, whilst Kimmins deliberates how existing agricultural networks can be used to facilitate the spread of HIV/AIDS and other health messages. 

Increasing rural-urban migration is swelling urban populations in many developing countries and leading to huge changes in the nature of food systems and food security. The ensuing rise in peri-urban and urban horticulture and changing food consumption patterns is resulting in new areas of concern for health and agricultural policy-makers. Witcombe and Sanchez describe how a rise in peri-urban and urban livestock keeping is changing the nature of food production systems and 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 exciting new methods of disease control, but identifies the need for greater regional co-operation and dialogue to achieve sustainable solutions. 

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 through 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, as well as safeguarding 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 international uncertainty. International partnerships for natural resources research aiming to achieve a healthy natural environment, enhanced economic prosperity and healthy, secure people, provide non-threatening examples of co-operation which help to prevent outbreaks of conflict, famine or civil unrest, thereby enhancing international security.  Furthermore, many natural resources such as water, forests or fisheries, or crop and livestock pests and diseases do not respect territorial borders, so transboundary management may be necessary.

 

A central question is how to maximise efficient and effective use of natural resources, particularly in open-access regimes such as in forests and fisheries, to ensure environmental, economic and social sustainability and attain long term improvements in human health and security. Palmer claims that in order 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 whose livelihoods are sourced from multiple sources and whose 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 threatens 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 halt 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 in tackling inequalities in distribution and access to resources, this is helping hungry people to obtain food supplies all year round. It can also lead to cheaper real 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 also 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 that 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 become more than 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 of Insights have invested in networks and partnerships with developing countries that enhance the opportunities for longer-term sustainable promotion, delivery and uptake of technologies, but 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 the work of the RNRRS projects and resulting policy lessons which are likely to be of interest to health, agriculture and other policy-makers and researchers worldwide.

Source(s):
'Natural resource management and human health: the forgotten link?', in id21 Insights Health #5, May 2004
'A better working environment'

Funded by: UK Department for International Development

id21 Research Highlight: 14 May 2004

Further Information:
Kerry Albright
Natural Resources International Ltd.
Park House, Bradbourne Lane
Aylesford
Kent
ME20 6SN
UK

Contact the contributor: k.albright@nrint.co.uk 

Natural Resources International Ltd., UK

Elizabeth Warham
Central Research Department
UK Department for International Development
1 Palace Street
London SW1E 5HE
UK

Contact the contributor: E-Warham@dfid.gov.uk

Department for International Development, UK

Other related links:
'Supporting local knowledge and protecting resources'

'Food systems and security: helping the poor to cope'

'Improving family nutrition'

'Animal to human: controlling diseases which affect poor people in livestock'

'Gut reaction: simple steps to improve food safety and sanitation'

'Sustainable solutions to environmental and human health'

'Spreading the word'