Food security: The ultimate one-health challenge

Area of Science:

• Global Food Security
• Sustainable Agriculture
• One Health Approach

Background:

• Food insecurity is a critical global challenge driven by overpopulation, conflict, disease, climate change, and resource depletion.
• Human population growth from 2 billion (1925) to over 8 billion (2023) fundamentally drives increased demand for food production.
• Current food animal production relies heavily on chickens, cattle, and swine, which are vulnerable to widespread diseases with zoonotic potential.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the urgent need for sustainable solutions to global food insecurity.
• To emphasize the critical role of food animal production and its associated challenges.
• To advocate for an interdisciplinary, international approach to enhance food security.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of factors contributing to food insecurity, including population dynamics and environmental impacts.
• Focus on the vulnerabilities within major food animal production systems (poultry, cattle, swine).
• Exploration of diversification strategies, such as aquaculture, for resilient food systems.

Main Results:

• Major food animal species face significant disease threats, necessitating improved pathogen control.
• Diversifying animal-based food sources can mitigate risks from epizootics in key species.
• Advances in science offer opportunities for sustainable local and global food production.

Conclusions:

• An interdisciplinary "one-world, one-health" approach is essential for improving food animal production and disease control.
• International collaboration, funding from developed nations, and strengthened public health/veterinary services are crucial.
• A collective will to apply scientific advancements and implement effective policies is required to address current and future food security challenges.