The proceedings contains four main sections. The first considers the theory and concepts underlying the ecosystem health paradigm and how this knowledge can lead to improved human health. Waltner-Toews et al introduces the paradigm of 'agro-ecosystem health'. Citing concepts and drawing on experience from health sciences, these authors explain how similar principles may apply to the study and care of agro-ecological systems. They emphasise that people, often with differing perspectives and demands, are part of the bigger ecosystems. The practice of promoting ecosystem health has the 'value-laden' purpose of helping them better manage the ecosystems. Often different stakeholders have different perspectives, put different pressure on the ecosystems, and have different levels of influence in decision-making. In such cases, marginalised groups may not realise sustainable development when the more powerful ones manage their ecosystems in order to achieve their own specific goals.
Two papers by Pastore and Giampietro and by Pankhurst consider in greater depth the issue of different perspectives and decision-making by marginalised groups. The former notes that when one group achieves gains, others stand to lose in the competition associated with improving livelihood from a finite level of ecosystem resources. In this paper, the authors present an innovative and trans-disciplinary approach using 'amoeba multi-dimensional' analyses to comparing and integrating multiple perspectives into one framework. Pankhurst's paper notes the importance of indigenous associations or community-based organisations (CBOs) in managing ecosystems. He describes the characteristics, weaknesses and strengths of CBOs, and some roles that they can play in ecosystem management and human development.
Although they can manage ecosystems for many purposes such as food production, Peden's paper suggests that agro-ecosystems can also be explicitly and effectively managed to improve human health. Managing for human health is a different concept from ecosystem health, with the former dependent on the latter for long-term success. Achieving this requires participation by all stakeholders, trans-disciplinarity, legitimacy, gender analysis, and a new model of project management. This paper describes several different ways of how agro-ecosystem management can affect human health. It notes that poor human health can interfere with people's capacity to manage agro-ecosystems. The paper concludes that the principles of integrated pest management apply to humans as well as to crops and livestock. It recommends greater integration of social, human health and agricultural sciences.
The second section of the proceedings describes nine case studies drawn from experiences in East Africa. Gitau et al describes the characterisation of an agro-ecosystem in Kiambu District, Kenya. They emphasise that all stakeholders must participate in the definition of the ecosystem, in problem identification and analysis, in planning and conducting research. The researchers encountered two constraints to applying the ecosystem health approach. These were the difficulties in bridging the interdisciplinary gap and the challenge posed by the potential disruption to established power structures within the community.
Several papers describe ongoing research activities within key research institutions in the East African highlands. Alemu G/Wold et al describes the Ethiopian Agricultural Research Organization's (EARO) research activities and achievements in natural resources and livestock management. Although coming from a traditional disciplinary-based agricultural research institute, EARO now places priority on the need to attain food self-sufficiency, poverty alleviation, and environmental protection. To attain this, EARO emphasises the study of integrated livestock production systems. Waithaka's paper notes that like EARO, the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) also had a disciplinary past. It focused on agricultural production rather than on the more holistic objectives of ecosystem and human health. Now, KARI gives greater importance to limited aspects of human nutrition. Kamau describes past activities of Kenya Ministry of Agriculture. In spite of some increases in production, the traditional disciplinary approach encouraged promotion of agricultural practices that generated numerous environmental and health problems. He stresses the need for more holistic and interdisciplinary approaches in the design of new agro-ecosystem research. These authors recognise the benefits of taking a more holistic ecosystem approach, but they remain cognisant of the institutional challenges posed by this paradigm.
Workneh Ayalew's paper describes the experience of FARM–Africa (Food and Agricultural Research Management–Africa) in Ethiopia of involving Ethiopian farmers in participatory, gender sensitive research, and participatory generation and adoption of agricultural technologies. Using dairy goat development, community forestry, wildlife and pasture management and capacity development as entry points, FARM–Africa focusses on the most disadvantaged people including women within communities.
Representing the African Medical Research Foundation (AMREF), Biteyi describes human health conditions in Africa. Priority issues include malaria, HIV, women's reproductive health, child health, and malnutrition. She emphasises the importance of community involvement in health care. Neumann's paper describes wide spread micronutrient deficiencies in East African children and the consequent impairment of their physical and cognitive development. Using examples, she outlines the potential role for small ruminant in alleviating nutritional deficiencies in Ethiopia and Kenya. Jemal Haider et al cautions that increasing supply of milk through market-oriented dairy production does not automatically lead to improved health. Sometimes, people may substitute cow's milk for mother's milk and if they sell milk in the market, improved nutrition also depends on farmers using generated cash to purchase alternative high quality food products. Thus, these authors point out the need for nutrition education for those who adopt dairy production technologies. However, in a related study in the same community, Shapiro et al found that increased dairy production led to increased milk production and reduced stunting in children. Women maintained control over much of the increased cash flow. This enabled them to purchase food. Even men increased their expenditure on food.
Researchers and development workers increasingly recognise that reducing poverty and degradation of agricultural production systems requires a more holistic integrated ecosystem approach. Addressing the multiplicity of important issues in complex systems demand's interdisciplinarity, the participation of all stakeholders including local people, and innovative institutional arrangements.
The third section of this proceedings summarises experiences gleaned from integrated eco-regional research in Ethiopia, the highlands of East Africa, and the Himalayas.
The fourth section forms the heart and purpose of the workshop. It includes the draft proposal 'Enhanced human well-being through improved livestock and natural resources management in the East African highlands.' It calls for the development of integrated policy and technical interventions to improve natural resources management and human health, nutrition and well-being using an 'ecosystem health' framework. Smit briefly but critically analyses the proposal. It emphasises the need for greater rigour and thought in the selection and use of appropriate indicators of agricultural sustainability, human well-being and environmental quality. Mo also stresses the importance of incorporating gender and social analyses into ecosystem management research as people lead different lives. Thus, they differently share in the benefit stream and in the burden of costs associated with tradeoffs arising from management decisions.
The proceedings concludes with recommendations about the research proposal arising from six working groups. They affirmed that primary purpose of the research would be to improve human health through better natural resources management. They confirmed the need for a community-centred, participatory agro-ecosystem health approach to integrate health, agricultural and environmental issues. They elaborated detailed objectives and some priority hypotheses. One group concluded that the six essential steps to conduct the research are:
The working groups highlighted some specific knowledge and methodological gaps. These include community decision-making processes, representativeness of research sites, extrapolation domains, cross-site comparisons, integration of information, ethical issues, data collection fatigue, relation between policy, institutions, and technologies, and grassroots indicators. The groups conducted in-depth discussion of the need for appropriate indicators for assessing sustainable development and improving human well-being. Individual groups also considered appropriate units of analysis, definitions of households, and certain ethical issues related to researchers' interaction with communities, partnerships and future funding.
The workshop set the stage for a subsequent collaborative and consultative process by which the partners will revise the research proposal and develop a specific plan to carry out the research work.
