Future of Sustainable Food Systems and One Health

Explore how the future of sustainable food systems is intertwined with human, animal, and environmental health. Learn about the One Health approach to combat climate change, enhance resilience in agriculture, and promote nutritious food production while protecting our planet.

PUBLIC HEALTH ECONOMICS

Rimsha Jamil, Muhammad Imran & Hira Altaf

9/25/2026

Nearly one in three people globally lack access to adequate food, a staggering reality that represents far more than a statistic. Behind these numbers are families struggling to afford nutritious meals, children facing impaired growth and development, and communities living with the daily uncertainty of where their next meal will come from. At the same time, the world’s population is projected to approach 9.7 billion by 2050, placing unprecedented pressure on agriculture and food systems. Meeting future demand will require substantial increases in food production, yet the foundations of that production are under growing stress. Soil degradation is reducing land productivity, freshwater resources are becoming increasingly scarce, biodiversity is declining, and climate change is intensifying droughts, floods, heatwaves, pests, and diseases.

The challenge is particularly serious in regions where livelihoods depend heavily on agriculture and where households have limited capacity to absorb environmental and economic shocks. Across many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia, millions of people experience acute food insecurity, while farmers simultaneously face rising production costs, unpredictable weather, declining natural resources, and unstable markets. These pressures are not separate problems. They are closely connected and can reinforce one another.

Addressing such interconnected challenges requires us to move beyond isolated solutions. Food production cannot be considered separately from human health, animal health, plant health, or environmental wellbeing. A disease outbreak among livestock can threaten household incomes and food supplies. Poor environmental conditions can affect crop productivity and water quality. Excessive or inappropriate use of agricultural chemicals can create risks for ecosystems, animals, and people.

This interconnected understanding forms the foundation of the One Health approach. One Health recognizes that human, animal, plant, and environmental health are deeply interdependent. By bringing these perspectives together, it provides a common framework for addressing food insecurity, emerging diseases, environmental degradation, and climate-related risks. More importantly, it encourages governments, farmers, health professionals, researchers, and communities to work together rather than treating each challenge in isolation. For increasingly complex food systems, such integrated thinking is becoming essential for building resilience, sustainability, and greater equity.

When Climate Change Becomes a Health Crisis

Climate change is not just an environmental issue, it is increasingly reshaping the geography of disease and creating new health risks for people, animals, and ecosystems. Rising temperatures, changing rainfall patterns, prolonged droughts, floods, and ecosystem disruption are altering the conditions in which pathogens and disease vectors survive and spread. Mosquitoes, ticks, and other vectors can expand into areas that were previously too cold or otherwise unsuitable for them, while changing environmental conditions can increase contact between wildlife, livestock, and human populations. As a result, diseases may emerge in places where communities and health systems have little previous experience in dealing with them.

The numbers highlight the scale of the challenge. According to the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), a substantial share of diseases associated with climate change can directly affect human health, while many are expanding into new geographical areas. Animal diseases already cause around 20–25% of livestock production losses globally, representing not only major economic costs for farming communities but also a serious threat to food and nutrition security. For households that depend heavily on livestock for income, milk, meat, eggs, and other products, disease outbreaks can quickly become livelihood and food-security crises.

The zoonotic dimension is particularly concerning. The World Health Organization reports that many human infectious diseases originate in animals, while a large share of emerging diseases can cross from animals into human populations. Research published in Nature has also highlighted the potential for climate-driven environmental changes to increase opportunities for pathogens to move between species. Such risks become even more significant as human settlements expand, agricultural production intensifies, and natural habitats are increasingly disturbed.

In this changing environment, veterinarians serve as an important first line of defense. They act as sentinels for emerging diseases, identifying unusual symptoms or disease patterns in livestock and wildlife that may signal wider threats. Their expertise in animal health surveillance, disease diagnosis, biosecurity, vaccination, and herd management can provide an essential early-warning system. By connecting veterinary surveillance with public-health and environmental monitoring, the One Health approach can help detect threats earlier, contain outbreaks more effectively, and protect both livelihoods and human health. As climate change continues to reshape disease risks, investing in veterinary capacity is therefore an important part of building resilient food and health systems.

The Silent Pandemic: Antimicrobial Resistance

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents one of the most pressing One Health emergencies of our time. It occurs when bacteria and other microorganisms change in ways that make medicines less effective, allowing infections to persist, spread, and become more difficult and expensive to treat. Although antimicrobial resistance is often discussed as a human-health problem, its roots and consequences extend across livestock, aquaculture, agriculture, food systems, and the environment. The widespread and sometimes inappropriate use of antimicrobials in animal production can accelerate the development and circulation of resistant bacteria and resistance genes across animal, environmental, and human ecosystems.

The scale of the challenge is sobering. A large share of medically important antimicrobials is used in animals, particularly in systems where disease prevention, veterinary oversight, and biosecurity may be inadequate. If resistance continues to increase unchecked, it could result in millions of additional deaths and impose enormous economic costs through treatment failures, productivity losses, and higher healthcare expenditures. In some livestock systems, particularly intensive poultry and swine production in low- and middle-income countries, multidrug-resistant E. coli has been reported at very high levels. Important zoonotic and foodborne pathogens, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella enterica, and Staphylococcus aureus, are also becoming increasingly resistant to medicines used to treat infections.

Addressing AMR requires coordinated action across the entire One Health spectrum. Responsible antimicrobial stewardship must be combined with stronger farm biosecurity, vaccination, improved hygiene, better nutrition, disease surveillance, and sound animal husbandry. Reducing the need for antibiotics is often more effective than simply restricting their use. Farmers can lower disease pressure by maintaining clean housing, controlling animal movement, improving ventilation and water quality, and promptly isolating sick animals. Alternatives such as probiotics, prebiotics, bacteriophages, and bacteriocins may also contribute to reducing dependence on antimicrobials.

The FAO has supported numerous AMR-related initiatives across countries to strengthen capacity and promote sustainable agrifood systems. The RENOFARM project, for example, focuses on reducing the need for antimicrobials through improved husbandry, disease prevention, and biosecurity in terrestrial and aquatic farming systems.

Veterinarians are central to this effort. They can determine when antimicrobial treatment is genuinely justified, select appropriate medicines and dosages, and use diagnostic evidence to guide treatment. Modern tools, ranging from phenotypic susceptibility testing and PCR to whole-genome sequencing, can increasingly help identify pathogens and resistance patterns. By combining responsible prescribing with prevention, surveillance, and farmer education, One Health approaches can help preserve the effectiveness of antimicrobials for both animals and people.

Building Resilient Livestock Systems Through One Health

The livestock sector faces a complex challenge: meeting growing demand for nutritious animal-source foods while reducing environmental pressures and building resilience to climate change. Producers must respond to rising temperatures, water scarcity, changing disease patterns, biodiversity loss, and increasingly frequent climate shocks, while also contributing to broader goals for sustainable food systems. Importantly, resilience and efficiency do not necessarily conflict. In many cases, healthier animals, better resource management, and improved productivity can strengthen both farm incomes and environmental performance.

Climate-smart livestock practices offer practical pathways forward. Producing more from each animal through improved feeding, better pasture management, appropriate stocking rates, disease prevention, and heat-tolerant breeds can reduce pressure on land and natural resources. For millions of smallholders, women, and young people in low- and middle-income countries, livestock and aquatic food systems are not simply commercial activities; they provide food, income, employment, savings, and a critical safety net during economic and environmental shocks.

Innovation can further strengthen this resilience. Integrated aquaculture can diversify production and reduce dependence on a single species or income source, while rice-fish systems can make more efficient use of the same land and water resources. Solar-powered cold storage, including systems managed by rural women's groups, can reduce post-harvest losses, extend the shelf life of milk, meat, fish, and other products, and help producers obtain more stable returns. Such approaches demonstrate how modern technology can work alongside local knowledge and ecological principles to create practical forms of agroecological development.

Environmental impacts must nevertheless be addressed honestly. Livestock production contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, land-use pressure, and water consumption, although the magnitude varies considerably across production systems. A circular bioeconomy approach can help reduce these pressures by converting manure and other agricultural residues into fertilizer, biogas, and other useful resources. Better animal nutrition is particularly important because healthier, more productive animals can produce more food with fewer resources and potentially lower emissions per unit of output. Investments in veterinary services therefore have implications extending beyond animal health.

This connection is increasingly reflected in policy. The One Health approach has evolved into a framework for coordinated action involving human health, animal health, agriculture, and the environment. International collaboration among FAO, UNEP, WHO, and WOAH provides countries with a basis for integrating these priorities into national planning. FAO's broader strategic agenda also recognizes the links among biodiversity, soil health, animal welfare, food security, and sustainable agriculture.

Data and evidence can help translate these principles into practical investment. Countries such as Kenya are using improved livestock emissions and productivity data to strengthen climate planning and identify opportunities for climate-aligned finance. Similar approaches can support farm loans, insurance, improved forage systems, resilient breeds, veterinary infrastructure, and other investments that help producers adapt. Ultimately, resilient livestock systems will depend on connecting science, finance, veterinary services, farmer knowledge, and public policy. A One Health approach provides a framework for making these connections while protecting livelihoods, food security, animal health, and the natural resources on which future production depends.

Conclusion

The future of sustainable food systems depends on recognizing that human health, animal health, plant health, and environmental wellbeing are inseparable. Climate change is intensifying disease risks, while antimicrobial resistance threatens the effectiveness of medicines essential for protecting both people and animals. At the same time, livestock and farming communities must become more resilient while producing nutritious food with fewer environmental pressures. The One Health approach provides a practical framework for addressing these interconnected challenges through prevention, surveillance, responsible antimicrobial use, climate-smart production, veterinary services, and stronger collaboration across sectors. Its success will depend not only on scientific innovation but also on investment in farmers, veterinarians, rural communities, data systems, and effective policies. By bringing health, agriculture, environment, and livelihoods into a shared framework, One Health can help build food systems that are more resilient, sustainable, and equitable. Ultimately, protecting the health of people and the planet begins with creating healthier systems for producing and consuming food.

Please note that the views expressed in this article are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of any organization.

The writers are affiliated with the Departments of Zoology, Wildlife and Fisheries; and Parasitology, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan and can be reached at rimshajameel1996@gmail.com

Future of Sustainable Food Systems and One Health

Related Stories