Workshop on Applications of OneHealth/EcoHealth Approach Towards Sustainable Livestock Production in Southeast Asia

Background and Rationale

Status of livestock sector in Southeast Asia

Livestock production plays a major role in Southeast Asia as it provides food, employment and income. The demand for livestock products is expected to continue to grow rapidly due to population growth and increase in demand as affected by prevailing lifestyles. With the livestock sector in the region largely composed of cattle, buffalo and swine, the ASEAN Statistical Yearbook 2016/2017 has recorded its livestock population to comprise a total of 185,960.5 thousand heads as of 2014. In a span of four years, the livestock population increased by 3.77 percent in 2013-2014 compared to 1.68 percent in 2012-2013 and 1.30 percent in 2011-2012.

The livestock sub-sector makes a significant contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and employment share in ASEAN countries especially in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The agriculture sector stood in 2016 at an average of 21.0 percent of the GDP in Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, and Vietnam – countries that largely depend on agriculture. By contrast, the GDP share of the agriculture sector in Singapore and Brunei in the same year were at 0.04 and 0.8 percent, respectively. On the other hand, the contribution of agriculture to GDP in Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia ranges from 6.3 to 12.8 percent. Apart from Singapore and Brunei Darussalam, livestock production contributes from 11.6 to 15 percent to the total agricultural output.

Towards balancing productivity and sustainability

With the growing livestock industry in the region come the challenges of efficiently managing it to ensure sustainable development. The livestock sector in the region faces considerable wide-ranging challenges that encompass the economic, social, and environmental components of livestock production. In response to this, the ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action for Cooperation on Livestock aims to attain a sustainable livestock production that would contribute to growth, food security, and improved nutrition in the region through promotion of policies that would facilitate investment opportunities, increase research and technology transfer, and enable smallholder participation. Control measures are also being implemented in the region to prevent outbreaks of major animal diseases such as foot and mouth disease, avian influenza, swine fever, and others. In addition, climate change remains a major hindrance to an efficient livestock production in the region, giving rise to negative impacts such as low production yield and prevalence of livestock-related diseases. As such, the livestock sector continues to develop pollution-control measures with consideration for environmental and social welfare in the community.

LiveHealth: operationalizing sustainability through OneHealth/EcoHealth in Southeast Asia

OneHealth/EcoHealth is a holistic approach to health that integrates the various dimensions concerning humans, animals, and the environment as one. This approach emphasizes the interconnectedness among the environment with social, economic, and political spheres towards a holistic and deeper understanding of the epidemiological dynamics of human and animal populations. Given that most of the challenges in the livestock sector tend to be interrelated, this approach provides for inclusivity among humans, animals, and the environment that would be essential in attaining sustainable agriculture and efficient livestock management.

As such, this program centers on the importance of OneHealth/EcoHealth approach and its operationalization to provide a systematic process how a multi- and inter-disciplinary lens would result to sustainable livestock systems that balances financial, economic, environmental and societal goals. It will aim to test and refine holistic approaches that advance understanding the risks in animal health through coordination of the human-animal-ecosystem interface applied at the national and regional levels. On the practical side, it will identify management strategies and appropriate and effective methods to prevent and control livestock disease that are clearly wanting.

The GREASE Network (https://www.grease-network.org) based in Kasetsart University in Bangkok, Thailand, is a regional network that supports research activities for a better management of emerging epidemic risks in Southeast Asia. It responds to the challenge of emerging trans-boundary animal infections and zoonotic diseases by producing a theoretical and operational OneHealth framework that involves various disciplines linked to the management of emerging epidemic risks such as veterinary medicine, public health, ecology, economics, sociology, geography, modelling sciences, and biostatistics. The core members of this regional network coordinated by CIRAD¹ are: Kasetsart University (KU) in Thailand, the National Institute for Veterinary Research (NIVR) in Vietnam, the National University of Laos (NUOL), the National Veterinary Research Institute (NAVRI) in Cambodia, Central Mindanao University (CMU) in the Philippines, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Indonesia, and CIRAD.

The latest project developed within the GREASE platform is the 4-year Europaid project, the ComAcross, organized in the framework of a call for proposal aiming at the reinforcement of the "environmental dimension" of One Health activities in Asia. The project includes several institution members of GREASE in Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. The main objective was to improve health of SEA local communities through routine collaboration and communication schemes between One Health (OH) traditional actors (human and animal health sector) and non-traditional actors (natural resources and rural development sector) at local, national and regional level in SEA. In order to achieve it several activities were implemented: (1) Raising awareness and exchange OH best practices among animal health, public health, rural development and environment sectors through regional and national long-term studies regarding four model diseases/health issues (Rabies, Nipha, waste management, zoonotic pig parasitic diseases); (2) Building capacity among OH actors regarding diagnosis and data management and sharing; (3) Organizing trainings in participatory approaches and environmental diagnosis; and (4) Developing a OH Master curricula. At the end of the project (January 2018), a self-sustainable OH community of practices in Thailand, Cambodia and Laos was established and could be used as a model to develop an operational and analytic framework for a true cross-sectoral collaboration within the LiveHealth proposal.

Given this need, four leading organizations in the Southeast Asian region are collaborating towards the holistic enhancement of the livestock sector under an interdisciplinary framework through the OneHealth/EcoHealth Initiative Platform for Southeast Asia. With a mission of strengthening institutional capacities toward inclusive and sustainable agricultural and rural development (ISARD) in Southeast Asian region, SEARCA aims to contribute in the improvement of the livestock industry for a balanced economic growth, social inclusivity and environmental sustainability. On the other hand, CIRAD is represented through the GREASE, which is a regional network to support research activities for a better management of epidemic risks particularly those challenges related to emerging trans-boundary animal infections and zoonotic diseases. Likewise, CGIAR's International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) has been working on a number of modalities aimed at enhancing developing countries' capacity to increase and sustain livestock and farm productivity, exploring profitable markets for animal products, and in reducing the risks of livestock-related diseases. Lastly, the academic sector is represented by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), a public research university considered as a leader in the Southeast Asian region on agriculture and natural resource management. Together, these four organizations are in the look-out of more partnerships and collaborations with other interested organizations to generate the necessary knowledge, tools and approaches, and human capital for a more definitive enhancement of the theory and practice of OneHealth/EcoHealth in the Southeast Asian region.

General Objective

The workshop generally aims to discuss current overarching challenges of the livestock sector in Southeast Asia, and highlight how OneHealth/EcoHealth approach as a concept could be better wielded towards the operationalization of sustainability goals. With various stakeholders in attendance representing various organizations, sectors and disciplinal mandates, the workshop also aims to take stock on the various conceptualizations of OneHealth/EcoHealth especially how it is being perceived and practiced across different settings and conditions. With these, the workshop will formulate a unified proposal covering integrated interventions of research and capacity building activities aimed at advancing understanding the risks in animal health, and through effective coordination of the human-animal-ecosystem interface applied at the national and regional levels.

Specifically, the workshop aims to:

1. Discuss the theory and principles of OneHealth/EcoHealth framework/approach and its current applications and potentials in the livestock sector in Southeast Asian countries;
2. Collate examples of research projects and interventions related to OneHealth/EcoHealth that may be appropriate and relevant for the Southeast Asian conditions;
3. Discuss methodological frameworks, tools, and techniques to operationalize OneHealth/EcoHealth in the actual setting; and
4. Draft a research and capacity building program guided by the OneHealth/Ecohealth approach.

Who Should Attend

• Representatives from government and non-government organizations engaged in the promotion of sustainable agriculture/livestock sector in the Philippines through production and management, regulation, policy, and investment promotion
• Faculty members, researchers, and staff of state colleges and university and other higher education institutions
• Graduate students interested in implementing OneHealth/EcoHealth approach in sustainable agriculture and livestock management, and sustainable agro-ecosystems
• Agriculture and industry players such as farm owners and managers, operators, program/project designers, service delivery system innovators, and other enterprises

Workshop Program

Time	Activity/Topic	Resource Person
8:30-9:00	Registration
9:00-9:30	Coffee/Tea Socialization, Small Group Discussions
Open to Public: ADSS Venue: Drilon Hall
9:30-10:15	Public Seminar: OneHealth/EcoHealth and Animal Health in Southeast Asia: Theory and Practice	Dr. Flavie Goutard GREASE Network Coordinator CIRAD - Thailand Handout
10:15-10:30	Open Forum
10:45-11:15	Panel Presentations: Livestock Research Contributions to the SDGs in SEA	Dr. Hung Nguyen International Livestock Research Institute-Vietnam Handout
11:15-11:30	Current Applications of OneHealth and EcoHealth Frameworks in the Philippines	Dr. Loinda R. Baldrias Professor College of Veterinary Medicine, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) Handout
11:30-11:45		Dr. Emelinda L. Lopez Veterinarian Animal Health and Welfare Division Bureau of Animal Industry-Department of Agriculture Handout
11:45-12:00		Dr. Rico Ancog Professor and Scientist III School of Environmental Science and Management, UPLB Handout
12:00-12:15	Panel Discussion
End of Sessions Open to Public
12:15-1:30	Lunch
Workshop Proper (By Invitation Only) Venue: Sam-Arng Srinilta (SAS) Room
1:30-1:45	Current Applications of OneHealth and EcoHealth Frameworks in the Philippines – The Human Health Dimension	Dr. Mary Grace B. Dacuma Professor Animal Biology Division Institute of Biological Sciences, UPLB Handout
1:45-5:00	Group Discussions: Review and Refinement of Program Concept	Facilitated by UPLB and SEARCA

Dr. Nova A. Ramos
Emcee/Moderator