| Project summary | |
|---|---|
| Duration: | 48 Months – Start December 2021 |
| Countries: | Eastern Africa (Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda) and Southern Africa (Botswana, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe) |
| Lead: | Dr Theo Knight-Jones, Principal Scientist, ILRI Dr Alexandre Caron (CIRAD); Dr Margaret Karembu (ISAAA) |
Consortium
- International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI)
- Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement (French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development) (CIRAD)
- International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA AfriCenter)
Background
The world is facing unprecedented, inter-connected threats to the health of people, animals, and the environment; addressing these threats requires cross-sectoral, systems-wide approaches. This is encapsulated in the One Health concept, which recognises the interconnection between people, animals, plants, and their shared environment. COVID-19 and its origins as a zoonotic pathogen is a particularly pertinent example, but One Health concerns many of the other major threats of our time, such as climate change and disease emergence, anti-microbial resistance, ecosystem destruction with loss of biodiversity and the fragility of food and feed systems. In a globalised world, it is imperative that all nations and societies better manage One Health. In this project we look to build One Health capacity in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Overview of the project:
The project aims to generate an inclusive Research & Innovation ecosystem, facilitating rapid uptake, adaption and adoption of solutions to issues that can be dealt with using a One Health (OH) approach, with the OH concept embedded across society in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA), working for healthy humans, animals and environments.
Objectives
- Increased relevance of OH research and policies in Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA)
- Enhanced national and subregional cross-sectoral collaboration between government entities with OH mandates and OH stakeholders across society
- Educational and research institutes equipped to train the next generation workforce in tackling OH issues
- Increased capacity of government and non-governmental stakeholders trained by the intervention to
identify and deliver OH solutions to key problems of final beneficiaries
Outputs
- Government entities with OH mandates and OH stakeholders across society capacitated in cross-sectoral collaboration around OH
- Government entities capacitated in the development of evidence-based OH strategies and policies
- National secondary, tertiary, and vocational education institutes strengthened in building OH capacity for the next generation workforce
- Research institutes capacitated in training next generation OH researchers
- Research institutes capacitated in identification, development, adaption, and delivery of OH solutions (technologies, soft skills and strategic approaches for addressing current challenges)
- Service providers (public, private) capacitated in identification, adoption and delivery of OH solutions
- OH related Public-Private Partnerships strengthened in delivery of OH solutions and consultation on OH issues
- Contribution to emerging understanding on OH, its appropriate use and added value
- Knowledge and Information on OH research and policies in ESA promoted through project platforms
Project design
The Consortium (ILRI, primarily in East Africa; CIRAD, primarily in Southern Africa; and ISAAA AfriCenter) will work with in-country multiplier organisations (mostly One Health research and implementation organisations) to deliver the project to beneficiaries, mainly government, education, research and service providers engaged in OH.
Funders
This project is supported by the European Commission OACPS Research and Innovation Programme: ACP-EU initiative, co-founded through ILRI and CIRAD.
