Agriculture is an integrated part of society, keeping people feed and supplied with commodities to make life better. However, most people do not think about the disease impacts of agriculture to humans and society. This short paper describes several categories of Agriculture-Associated Diseases and how those in agriculture might improve human health. From the Leveraging Agriculture for Improving Nutrition and Health: IFPRI 2020 conference, held Feb 10-12, 2011 in New Delhi, India.
An important negative effect of agricultural intensification is disease. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is a notorious example of a disease that was fostered by intensified agricultural production and spread through lengthened poultry value chains and the global movement of people and animals. Large-scale irrigation projects, designed to increase agriculture productivity, have created ecosystems conducive to schistosomiasis and Rift Valley fever.
