PHA-Exchange> Linking natural resource management and human health - latest issue of 'insights health'

[Tom Barker]

Linking natural resource management and human health - latest issue of
'insights health'

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?

The latest issue of id21's print review of development health research,
'insights health', discusses how agricultural research can relate to the
concerns of the health community. Its contributors aim to identify
potential starting points for better interaction and more cohesive
policy-making in future years. The articles, authored by managers of
natural resource research programmes, funded by the UK's Department for
International Development (DFID), explore:

*  the value of community knowledge about natural resources such as the
potential of medicinal tree bark to alleviate symptoms of AIDS
*  new technologies designed to ease the burden of work
*  ways of improving access to and consumption of vitamins, proteins and
micronutrients
*  the impact of rural-urban migration on food systems and security
*  new approaches for controlling "zoonotic" diseases transferred from
livestock to humans including brucellosis and sleeping sickness
*  how traditional conflicts between agriculture and the environment can
compromise food safety and human health

Read the whole issue
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The issue is available online at
http://www.id21.org/insights/insights-h05/index.html and in print. To
receive printed copies of this issue and a free subscription to future
issues of 'insights health', email your full postal address to
id21subscriptions at ids.ac.uk quoting "insights health 5" and stating how
many copies you would like to receive (all id21 publications are free of
charge). Back issues of 'insights health' are also available at
http://www.id21.org/insights/index.html

Have your say
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What do you think of this issue of 'insights health' and the subjects it
raises? Id21's Right to Reply web pages give readers the opportunity to
give feedback on each issue of 'insights health'. Send your views and
comments to insights at ids.ac.uk

Reproducing our work
*************************
Copyright remains with the original authors. Unless rights are reserved
in specific cases, however, any article may be copied or quoted without
restriction, provided both the source ('insights health', id21) and
authors are properly acknowledged and informed. Each article carries the
author's contact details and id21 can be contacted at
id21 at ids.ac.uk

More about id21 Health
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The id21 online collection contains hundreds of policy-relevant research
digests on development issues including health and natural resources. To
see the whole collection visit our website at: http://www.id21.org/

id21 Health by email: To receive free, regular updates of the latest
health development research findings from the id21 collection, email
id21subscriptions at ids.ac.uk with the word 'health' in the message.

Tom Barker
Health Editor
id21 Health

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