One Health in agrifood systems is everyone's health: Why integrated approaches are transforming global food security

When a farmer adopts drought-resistant crops that reduce pesticide use, the benefits ripple far beyond their fields. Reduced chemical runoff protects local water sources, supporting aquatic ecosystems. Healthier soils foster beneficial microorganisms that enhance crop resilience. Meanwhile, communities gain access to more nutritious food while farm workers face fewer health risks from toxic exposures.

This interconnected web of benefits exemplifies One Health – a collaborative, multisectoral approach that recognizes the fundamental links between human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health. As FAO celebrates 80 years of global leadership in food security, the One Health in agrifood system framework emerges as a critical paradigm for addressing the complex challenges facing our agrifood systems.

Take antimicrobial resistance (AMR), one of the most pressing threats to global sustainability and development. Beyond its implications for human and animal health, AMR affects food production systems, ecosystem stability, soils, water, plants and economic resilience. The misuse of antimicrobials in agriculture, aquaculture, and livestock production not only drive the evolution of drug-resistant microbes but also disrupt soil and water microbiomes, reduce agricultural productivity, and threaten livelihoods dependent on farming and trade. The social costs are equally significant, as communities face food insecurity, loss of income, and rising healthcare expenses. Addressing AMR therefore demands an integrated, cross-sectoral response – uniting human health, veterinary practice, environmental stewardship, and socio-economic policy – exactly the kind of holistic coordination that the One Health approach is designed to achieve.

Innovations driving change

Emerging technologies and approaches are making One Health applications increasingly practical and effective. Digital platforms now integrate data from multiple sources, allowing real-time monitoring of disease outbreaks, environmental conditions, and food safety indicators across entire regions. 

Precision agriculture technologies help farmers optimize inputs like fertilizers and pesticides, reducing environmental contamination while maintaining productivity. Sensor networks monitor soil health, water quality, and biodiversity simultaneously, providing holistic insights into ecosystem functioning.

Bioengineering advances are producing crops that require fewer chemical inputs while delivering enhanced nutrition. These developments reduce environmental pressures while addressing malnutrition – a clear example of solutions that benefit human, plant, and ecosystem health simultaneously.

Perhaps most importantly, community-based participatory approaches are empowering local stakeholders to identify and implement integrated solutions tailored to their specific contexts. Indigenous knowledge systems, often inherently holistic, are being recognized and integrated with modern scientific approaches. 

Addressing global challenges

The urgency of adopting One Health approaches becomes clear when examining the scale of interconnected challenges facing agrifood systems. Climate change simultaneously threatens crop productivity, increases the risk of zoonotic disease emergence, and exacerbates food insecurity – particularly for vulnerable populations.

Biodiversity loss undermines the genetic resources essential for crop improvement and reduces the ecosystem services that support agricultural productivity. However, the structure of modern food production systems can also contribute to soil degradation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions, reinforcing feedback loops that further challenge agricultural sustainability.

Food insecurity affects around 673 million people globally, yet simply increasing production is insufficient. The quality, accessibility, and sustainability of agrifood systems matter equally. One Health approaches address these multiple dimensions simultaneously, recognizing that human health depends not only on food availability but also on the health and resilience of the systems that produce it.

From science to action

Translating One Health principles into concrete policies and practices requires unprecedented cooperation across sectors, disciplines, and scales of governance. FAO's upcoming policy framework for One Health in agrifood systems will provide a roadmap for this transformation, emphasizing transdisciplinary science, cross-sectoral governance, and inclusive partnerships.

Success stories are already emerging worldwide. Integrated pest management programmes combine biological controls, resistant crop varieties, and targeted chemical applications to reduce pesticide use while maintaining yields. Agroecological approaches restore biodiversity on farms while supporting livelihoods and food security. Community health programmes address malnutrition through diversified farming systems that enhance both dietary diversity and ecosystem resilience.

These examples demonstrate that One Health is not merely an abstract concept but a practical framework for creating more resilient, equitable, and sustainable agrifood systems.

The path forward

Realizing the full potential of One Health requires sustained investment in research, capacity building, and institutional change. Universities must break down disciplinary silos to train the next generation of professionals who can work across sectors. Governments need policies that incentivize integrated approaches rather than reinforcing sectoral divisions.

Most critically, the voices and knowledge of farmers, communities, and other stakeholders must be central to designing and implementing One Health solutions. Top-down approaches that ignore local contexts and priorities are unlikely to succeed.