Scientists say the “plant world” needs to come out and claim its place at the One Health table

Scientists writing a policy forum article in the CABI One Health journal say the “plant world” needs to come out and claim its place at the One Health table as part of a desire to break down barriers that currently limit true cross-domain integration.

The researchers say that while plant health is increasingly recognized as a vital part of One Health, it lacks recognition and – historically focussed on health service provision, zoonotic diseases and antimicrobial resistance – One Health overlooks plant health in strategic plans.

They add that cross-sectoral approaches, core to One Health, are already used in plant health fields like agroecology, sustainable food systems, and integrated landscape management – just not under the One Health banner.

Disconnect limits recognition of interconnected health challenges

The disconnect, they say, between the worlds of One Health and plant health limits recognition of interconnected health challenges, obscures critical knowledge gaps, and stifles opportunities for synergy.

Dr Solveig Danielsen, Senior Project Scientist One Health and Research at CABI, said, “By staying outside One Health’s framework, the ‘plant world’ misses the political and institutional clout of bodies like the Quadripartite and the One Health High-Level Expert Panel, essential for driving global support.

“The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, and other plant-focused stakeholders, could assert their role more clearly in tackling severe One Health issues like pesticide risks, mycotoxins, invasive species, and biodiversity loss.”

She added that barriers to change exist – including plant professionals often not associating their work with One Health and traditional One Health actors may fail to see the value of integrating plant health.

Dr Danielsen said, “Ideas and initiatives are surfacing, demonstrating different ways in which One Health approaches can be used in plant health, such as to ensure all aspects of a problem are considered in looking for plant health solutions, or to integrate plant health in a One Health biosecurity policy and regulatory framework.

“The planning of the next phase of the Quadripartite One Health Joint Plan of Action presents a timely opportunity to rethink strategies and break down barriers that currently limit true cross-domain integration.”

“Undeclared” One Health work

As part of the policy forum article, the scientists argue for the existence of “undeclared” One Health work and present six examples. One example is a meta-analysis by Mahon et al. (2024) which uncovered novel insights regarding global change drivers of infectious disease risks in humans, animals and plants.

They found that biodiversity loss, chemical pollution, climate change and introduced species are associated with increases in disease-related endpoints across human and non-human diseases, though context-specific effects are common.

Dr Urs Schaffner, Head Ecosystems Management at CABI and a co-author of the policy forum article, said the existence of “undeclared” One Health work is not a surprise.

He said, “Like One Health, the sciences of plant health, crop agriculture and ecosystems are defined by their own concepts, frameworks and integrative approaches, for example, agroecology, integrated crop management, sustainable food systems, sanitary and phytosanitary systems, social-ecological systems and integrated landscape management.

“Despite overlaps with One Health, the professional communities around One Health and plant health largely operate in separate worlds.”

Change is starting to happen

The scientists, however, say that change is starting to happen. They give the example of Hoffman et al. (2022) who propose applying a One Health perspective to address the trade-offs that lie at the interface of ensuring plant health for food security versus minimizing the risks of pesticides to people, animals and ecosystems.

Dr Jakob Zinsstag, co-author of the policy forum article and Editor-in-Chief of CABI One Health journal, said, “Reforming One Health is a collective responsibility. We must collaborate across disciplines – plant specialists, veterinarians, medical doctors, ecologists, anthropologists, sociologists, economists and experts from other relevant fields.

“By clearly demonstrating the added benefits of addressing human, animal, plant and ecosystem health in a holistic manner, we can firmly establish plant health as an integral part of the One Health framework.”

This policy forum article was supported by the One Health Hub, a programme managed by CABI and funded by UK International Development.

The One Health Hub is a learning and knowledge platform on One Health. It identifies knowledge gaps, analyses evidence, and works with the global one health community to shape policies for a more interconnected approach to health.

Additional information

Main image: A farmer checks the health of her crop in the Rufunsa District of Zambia (Credit: CABI).

Full paper reference

Danielsen, Solveig; Schaffner, Urs; Zinsstag, Jakob, ‘Worlds apart: Plant health and One Health and a path to convergence,’ CABI One Health, 10 April, DOI: 10.1079/cabionehealth.2025.0013

The paper can be read here from 12:00hrs UK time on 10 April 2025: https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/10.1079/cabionehealth.2025.0013

Media contact

For more information including an advance copy of the paper contact:

Dr Solveig Danielsen, Senior Project Scientist One Health and Research, CABI – email s.danielsen@cabi.org

Wayne Coles, Senior PR Manager, CABI – email w.coles@cabi.org

About CABI One Health

CABI One Health is an open access journal that seeks to optimize the health of humans, animals, plants, ecosystems, and their shared environment by focussing on their interconnections in a truly transdisciplinary way.

Find out more here.