Research / Divisions / Division 6 - Agriculture and Human Health
Leader: Donald Cole
Principal activities
Analyzing linkages among production, ecosystems, and human health
Enhancing human health benefits from agricultural production
Mitigating human health risks from agricultural production
The Agriculture and Human Health Division carries out research to clarify the linkages among agricultural production, the environment, and human health. Based on the knowledge gathered from this research, intervention strategies will be designed to increase the benefits and mitigate the risks of agriculltural production to human health. This exciting new research division will allow CIP to institutionalize and carry forward the innovative research that we have been conducting to date, moving beyond compartmentalization of research and development in the fields of agriculture and human health. It is also the first institutionalized program on agriculture and human health in a CGIAR center.
Highlights
For two consecutive years, the Science Council criticized this project for an apparent focus on research with little potential for IPGs. During the year we hired two health science professionals (a M.D./epidemiologist as project leader and a nutritionist) and reassigned an agricultural anthropologist to the project. The new leader has sharpened the project outputs to emphasize the IPG nature of the research. The first output focuses on minimizing the health risks associated with modern intensive agriculture and the second on the nutritional benefits of bio-fortification.New results or projects
Several new results achieved during 2006 continue to shape the direction of the research program in the project. Research demonstrated the efficacy of orange fleshed sweetpotato as an option for food based approaches to nutrition. Published in a leading nutrition journal, this evidence on the effectiveness of food based approaches demonstrates viable pathways for nutrition impact. A second paper showed improvements in neurobehavioral function among farm families that adopted integrated pest management practices that reduced their exposure to highly toxic insecticides. There had been no previous published evidence of neurobehavioral recovery. This result adds a significant new benefit to the evaluation of financial support for IPM research and promotion. A new project to monitor and reduce pesticide use in horticulture systems in the Andes was funded and will add new targets to output one.
