Food and Agriculture Organization

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A global cross-sectoral approach is required to address the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) work collaboratively as a quadripartite with the aim of tackling AMR through a One Health approach. They support countries to develop and implement National Action Plans (NAPs) on AMR and to strengthen surveillance system through policy guidance, tools and building the economic case for AMR.

Since 2016 the Fleming Fund has provided funding to the FAO to tackle AMR as part of a joint proposal for funding from the Tripartite at the time. Funding has been used to: support countries to develop and implement NAPs, develop global guidance and protocols on AMR and antimicrobial Consumption (AMC), support the establishment of effective AMR governance systems, increase the technical capacity of countries, raise awareness of AMR and change behaviours in targeted sectors including the food and agriculture sector, and support effective collaboration across the Quadripartite.

This work creates the enabling environment for the generation, sharing, and use of AMR surveillance data and directly supports the implementation of the Fleming Fund country grants programme.

Partners:

The Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

Timeline:

Phase 1: September 2016 – March 2020

Phase 2: 3 years to March 2025

Value:

£8.5m

Priority countries:

Sub-Saharan Africa, and South and South-East Asia

Objectives

• Strengthen laboratory and surveillance capacities and related data management infrastructures of the food and agriculture sector to generate, collect, and share data on AMR.
• Strengthen antimicrobial use practices and good practice that reduce AMR transmission along the food chain in food and agriculture.
• Build the evidence base on the economics of AMR in the food and agriculture sectors to support decision making.
• Support country owned processes and collaborative initiatives for implementation of multi-sectoral One Health AMR National Action Plans (NAP).
• Enhance antimicrobial policies and governance to minimise the role of sub-standard and falsified (SF) antimicrobials in food and agriculture.

Achievements and Milestones

• Developed and launched the InFARM platform, a database for monitoring and surveillance AMR/AMU data primarily from livestock, fisheries, and aquaculture.
• Developed and launched the 10-year initiative to reduce the need for antimicrobials on farms for agrifood systems transformation (RENOFARM) as a sustainable approach for AMR projects.
• laboratory capacities and related infrastructures of the food and agriculture sector strengthened to collect and share data on AMR and antimicrobial residues and actively contribute to integrated surveillance on AMR
• Farmer Fields School approach piloted and scaled to improve farming practices and collection of AMU data at the farm level.