I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V E S T O C K R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E

ILRI

Addressing water-related health

risks in agroecosystems

Eline Boelee - Water Health, the Netherlands &

Delia Grace - International Livestock Research

Institute (ILRI), Kenya

WORLD WATER WEEK

Health and Food Security

29 August 2012, Stockholm

I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V E S T O C K R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E

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Water management in

agroecosystems

• Agroecosystems – more ecosystem services

than production of food, feed, fibre

• Crops, livestock, fish, trees

• Water management for

o Increased production & productivity

o Risk reduction, incl. climate change adaptation

o Multiple uses, functions & services

Stockholm, 29Aug2012

I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V E S T O C K R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E

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Health risks associated with

agricultual water management

• Insect-transmitted diseases, e.g. malaria,

Japanese encephalitis, West Nile fever

• Water-based diseases, e.g. schistosomiasis

• Water quality issues, e.g.

o Fecal contamination: bacteria, (rota)virus,

parasites

o Chemical contamination: pesticides, fertilizer,

antibiotics

o Harmful algal blooms Stockholm, 29Aug2012

I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V E S T O C K R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E

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Example 1 - malaria

• Water storage for livestock and irrigation

increased malaria transmission in Ethiopia

I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V E S T O C K R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E

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Example 2 - cyanobacteria

• Small reservoirs in West Africa for livestock

and irrigation, but also fish & bricks

• Agricultural intensification with high use of

pesticides and urban waste as fertilizer

• Harmful algal blooms of toxic cyanobacteria

restrict water use for dairy & domestic uses

Stockholm, 29Aug2012

I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V E S T O C K R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E

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Example 3 - avian flu

• Agriculture in wetlands in SE Asia:

rice & ducks

• Water bodies attract migratory

birds with low-pathogenic strains of

influenza

• Poultry keeping near wild bird resting sites

increases risk of virus entry

• Spill-over to backyard flocks

• Virus enters high density, industrial poultry farms

which favours increase in pathogenicity

• Ducks act as reservoir hosts maintaining infection

I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V E S T O C K R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E

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Higher risks with mixed systems

• Animals and people and water

• Half of world’s food production from mixed

crop-livestock farmers

• Ever increasing demand for food

o Especially animal products

• Most recent pandemics and emerging

diseases are zoonotic: resulting from close

human - animal interaction

Stockholm, 29Aug2012

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ILRI

The Livestock Revolution: strongly increased demand for meat and milk

as income grows

0

1

2

3

4

5

4 5 6 7 8 9 11

Log per capita GNP

Log p

er

ca

pita

co

nsum

ption o

f m

eat

Livestock to 2020: The Next Food Revolution, a joint IFPRI, FAO, ILRI study.

10

China

India

Trend

I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V E S T O C K R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E

ILRI 9

0 100,000,000 200,000,000 300,000,000 400,000,000 500,000,000

Non infectious/resp

Infectious and respiratorycauses

Zoonoses & recentlyemerged from animals

Diseases recently emergedfrom animals

Zoonoses

Zoonotic food-bornedisease

Low income

High income

Life years lost from sickness and death (DALYS)

1 million

2.4 million

I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V E S T O C K R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E

ILRI

Better opportunities with

integrated systems

• Higher productivity / drop, surface, animal…

• Attention to regulating and supporting

ecosystem services

o Water flow regulation

o Water purification

o Nutrient cycling

o Biodiversity

o Disease control

o Comprehensive land and water management

at landscape level Stockholm, 29Aug2012

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Human health Human

health One Medicine

Societies, cultures

Economies, institutions

Policies

Agroecosystem health

Animal

Health VPH

EcoHealth One Health

How: integrative approaches

Incentives

Values

Preferences

Culture

Ignorance

Governance

Rule-breaking

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Agroecosystem as entry point

Stockholm, 29Aug2012

• Interventions at farm level

o Adapted water management practices

o Livestock management

o Closed cycles in aquaculture

o Integration of systems

• Followed up along value chain / risk pathways

o Field-to-fork

o Boat-to throat

o Landscape approach

• Support at policy level

o Intersectoral collaboration: agriculture (water, crops,

fish, animals/veterinary, trees), health, environment

I N T E R N A T I O N A L L I V E S T O C K R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E

ILRI

Addressing water-related health risks in

agroecosystems

THANK YOU

Eline Boelee – e.boelee@waterhealth.nl

Delia Grace – d.grace@cgiar.org

I N T E R N AT I O N A L L I V E S T O C K R E S E A R C H I N S T I T U T E

ILRI