Assessing health in agriculture – towards a common research framework for soils, plants, animals, humans and ecosystems

Abstract

In agriculture and food systems, health-related research includes a vast diversity of topics. Nutritional, toxicological, pharmacological, epidemiological, behavioural, sociological, economic and political methods are used to study health in the five domains of soils, plants, livestock, humans and ecosystems. An idea developed in the early founding days of organic agriculture stated that the health of all domains is one and indivisible. Here we show that recent research reveals the existence and complex nature of such health links among domains. However, studies of health aspects in agriculture are often separated by disciplinary boundaries. This restrains the understanding of health in agricultural systems. Therefore we explore the opportunities and limitations of bringing perspectives together from the different domains. We review current approaches to define and assess health in agricultural contexts, comparing the state of the art of commonly used approaches and bringing together the presently disconnected debates in soil science, plant science, veterinary science and human medicine. Based on a qualitative literature analysis, we suggest that many health criteria fall into two paradigms: (1) the Growth Paradigm, where terms are primarily oriented towards continued growth; (2) the Boundary Paradigm, where terms focus on maintaining or coming back to a status quo, recognising system boundaries. Scientific health assessments in agricultural and food systems need to be explicit in terms of their position on the continuum between Growth Paradigm and Boundary Paradigm. Finally, we identify areas and concepts for a future direction of health assessment and research in agricultural and food systems.

A new analytical framework of farming system and agriculture model diversities. A review

“…In the second agriculture model involving biodiversitybased farming systems, a specific research issue in agronomy is to develop useful knowledge to help local/regional stakeholders design and manage alternative food systems to promote soil, plant, animal and ecosystem health and, in turn, human health (Reeve et al 2016;Vieweger and Döring 2014) and its resilience ). In this model, developing integrated food-energy systems requires extending analysis, design and assessment of agro-industrial ecology approaches (Metereau and Figuière 2014;see Sect.…”

The Characteristics of Five Food Production Systems and Their Implications for Sustainable Landscapes

“…Specialisation in agriculture has required genetic manipulation to maximise production and resistance to disease and insect predation to support broad scale agriculture. The build-up of herbicide and pesticide residues in humans has triggered health concerns (Smith-Spangler, 2012;Vieweger & Doring, 2015). The increase in the scale of agriculture has created oversupply, making food cheap and undervalued in industrial societies with a reduced financial return to farmers, thus threatening their livelihood.…”

The role of biological control in the sustainability of the Cuban agri-food system

“…Increased awareness is due to numerous actions undertaken by many organizations and institutions throughout the world. Outstanding activities include the advances in scientific knowledge of the negative impacts of pesticide use on human, animal, soil, and ecosystem health (Pretty, 2005;Viewege et al, 2014;IARC, 2015aIARC, , 2015bTFSP, 2015); the existence of legally binding international conventions and treaties (i.e., Rotterdam, Stockholm, and Montreal) regarding the use of these substances (Weinberg, 2008); the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) calls to governments since 2006 for the gradual elimination of Highly Dangerous Pesticides (HDP) (FAO, 2006); approval of the "Strategic Approach to International Chemical Management" (SAICM) (UNEP, 2006); and a list of highly dangerous pesticides published since 2009 by the Pesticide Action Network (PAN International, 2016). Among the most notable recent actions is the fact that at the 34 th period of sessions of the United Nations Human Rights Council, held from February 27 to March 24, 2017, the Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Hilal Elver, recommended going beyond voluntary measures so that the international community could prepare a broad and binding treaty that included "drafting policies to reduce the use of pesticides throughout the world and a framework for progressively prohibiting and eliminating highly dangerous pesticides" (UN, 2017).…”