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Edgar Vhera
Agriculture Specialist Writer
GOVERNMENT will launch a new anti-microbial resistance (AMR) national action plan (NAP) under the One Health strategy banner before year-end to replace the NAP (2017-2021) that has since expired.
According to the World Bank (WB) anti-microbial resistance occurs when bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites no longer respond to anti-microbial medicines.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development in collaboration with the Health and Child Care plus Environment, Climate and Wildlife ministries and other stakeholders launched an AMR NAP grounded in the One Health perspective in 2017.
A recent statement from Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Ministry titled: ‘Zimbabwe Embraces the One Health Concept: A Comprehensive Approach to Health and Sustainability in Agriculture,’ indicated that efforts were underway to unify all health-related issues under a comprehensive framework, which would power discussions on interconnected health issues and ensure that Zimbabwe maximises the benefits of the One Health strategy approach.
“A successor to that NAP of 2017 is expected to be launched before the end of the year. In a rapidly evolving world, the One Health Concept has emerged as a critical framework for Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector, recognising the deep interconnections between human, animal, plant and environmental health.
“This integrated approach underscores the importance of addressing health challenges across all these sectors through a holistic strategy, ensuring the sustainability and well-being of both communities and ecosystems,” read the statement.
The One Health approach stresses the need for coordinated efforts to tackle shared challenges rather than addressing them in isolation and advocates collective response that unites multiple sectors to solve interconnected problems.
“This multi-disciplinary cooperation allows stakeholders to address key challenges such as zoonotic diseases (those transmitted between animals and humans, including emerging diseases from wildlife at the livestock-human-wildlife interface), AMR, food security, plant health and biodiversity loss.
“The One Health approach calls for vigilant monitoring and surveillance at these interfaces to detect and control potential outbreaks before they spread widely,” continued the statement.
Overuse and misuse of antibiotics in agriculture, healthcare and even plant disease management contribute to the development of resistant bacteria and fungi, with dire consequences for public health.
Food security is another pressing issue in Zimbabwe with the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1 2021-25) seeking to improve food self-sufficiency and retain the regional breadbasket status.
Its main objective is to increase food self-sufficiency from 45 percent to 100 percent and reduce food insecurity from the high of 59 percent recorded in 2020 to less than 10 percent by 2025.
The One Health framework works to safeguard food production and availability and the health of both livestock and plants is essential for maintaining a stable food supply.
Plant health is crucial for the overall resilience of agricultural ecosystems, as diseases affect crop yields and heighten food insecurity, the One Health approach includes plant health as a key pillar, added the statement.
Department of Veterinary Services veterinary research officer and Ministry of Agriculture focal person in the One Health initiative, Dr Tinashe Hodobo echoed the idea saying: “By embracing the One Health Approach, Zimbabwe is building a sustainable future where human, animal, plant and environmental health work in harmony to protect our communities and ecosystems.”
Online Reporter