The story

Integrating human, animal and environmental health is a relatively new concept and, traditionally, joint health services have remained underexplored. However, clinics modelled on Plantwise, which combine plant and livestock health, are starting to put One Health into action. The benefits include better incomes and food security for farmers. 

PlantwisePlus clinics give crop health advice to farmers. However, a 2016-17 survey revealed that smallholders often asked questions about animal health during clinic sessions. In 2021-22, CABI launched a pilot of ‘joint’ crop-livestock clinics in Kenya and Uganda. In 2023, almost 1,400 farmers, over a third of whom were women, attended the clinics, raising nearly 1,000 queries covering everything from maize and tomato pests to cattle and poultry, and even domestic pets like cats and dogs. 

In 2023, feedback revealed how the joint clinics addressed complex interdisciplinary issues such as antibiotic resistance, pesticide poisoning and rabies infection. Furthermore, farmers reported how they solved problems by combining crop and livestock farming. They learnt about the interconnectedness of animal, crop, environmental and human health, which was not the case before the clinics’ introduction. 

Farmers even created new enterprises based on joint clinic advice. A chicken and goat farmer turned her attention to vegetable production. Her yam harvest earned her UGX600,000 ($165) for the very first time. Another farmer used the advice to earn more and pay for their child’s school fees. Wider communities benefited from good farming practices as the clinic attendees improved local food supply. 

At the joint clinics, farmers received information about government regulations, market trends and threats to their outputs, which added value to their farming. Joint clinics have now integrated environmental, fisheries and public health officers to address One Health challenges. The initiative aims to reach 11,650 smallholders in Kenya and Uganda by 2024.