“The convergence of human, animal, and environmental health in rural communities and territories: Enabling the building of capacity, collective learning, social innovation, and rural development.”
“La convergencia entre la salud pública, la salud animal y el ambiente en las comunidades y los territorios rurales”
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New paradigms that can be applied on local levels by local leadership are needed to counter emerging threats to human, animal, and environmental health. The convergence of these three elements has been considered most influenced by proximity and population growth. However, the convergence is expanded by catalysts that include economics, society, and culture. These factors can have regional and global impacts yet have their origins on local levels.
Within an effective module-based teaching methodology, this manual guides the construction of knowledge, concepts, and abilities that can positively impact the convergence of human, animal, and environmental health. This manual also seeks to inform the construction of a territorial approach to managing the convergence.
This manual introduces new paradigms and thinking into disease management within communities. Previously, predominantly technically-based approaches have been used. The manual teaches local leaders to weave in cultural perspectives and responds to the need to account for the cultural identities and practices of communities and their relationship with agriculture and the natural world. This is part of the ever-changing disease convergence and its multiplicity of contributing factors.
Users of this manual will recognize the dynamic influence that agriculture in industrial and tourism contexts can have as a driver of growth and development. Essential components within agriculture are explored. These include farming health, food safety, and environmental protection. The result is understanding and the stimulation of local conversations that lead to local solutions.
Community leaders are encouraged to embrace their role in sustainable development at local levels, as the manual offers strategies to manage factors that contribute to the disease convergence and inspires leaders to work as educators to build local leadership. The intended outcome is a multiplication of community, rural and grassroots-level leaders who can apply lessons learned to construct synergistic territories that work together to manage the convergence.
Thank you to Alejandra Diaz, Lourdes Medina, Sacha Trelles, and Luly Abularach for their authorship of these materials, and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture for their involvement. This manual was developed through the support of the “Local Action Global Health” project at Michigan State University and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.