Kadoma – Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is increasingly recognized as a major threat to global health, food security, and sustainable agricultural systems, impacting productivity, trade, and environmental stability. While Zimbabwe has made progress in AMR surveillance across human, animal, and environmental health, gaps persist in the plant and aquaculture sectors, which are vital for national food security and economic growth. To address these challenges, Zimbabwe is adopting the One Health approach, which promotes collaboration across all sectors to implement coordinated, sustainable strategies against AMR.
Last week, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with support from the One Health Secretariat, organized an orientation workshop in Kadoma. The workshop brought together experts from the plant and aquaculture sectors to integrate these areas into Zimbabwe’s national AMR surveillance framework. These sectors, critical for food production and trade, currently lack robust systems for monitoring and managing AMR risks.
The workshop aimed to familiarize sector officers with Zimbabwe’s AMR landscape and ongoing initiatives, strengthen understanding of the One Health approach, and review surveillance objectives for plant and aquaculture sectors in line with the 2024–2028 National Action Plan (NAP 2.0). Participants developed draft surveillance protocols intended for integration into the national AMR system. Tinashe Hodobo, Animal Health focal point in the One Health Secretariat, emphasized that incorporating plant and aquaculture health systems into the national AMR strategy closes critical gaps and ensures a truly integrated One Health response.
The two-day workshop combined technical presentations, group exercises, and protocol drafting sessions. The first day focused on AMR and One Health concepts, existing surveillance structures, and gaps in plant and aquaculture systems, while the second day emphasized sampling protocols, action plans, and presentations of draft outputs. FAO’s National AMR Coordinator, Kudzai Vhoko Tapesana, highlighted that strengthening AMR surveillance in these sectors aligns Zimbabwe with international best practices and reinforces the global One Health agenda.
Workshop outcomes directly support the National Action Plan on AMR (2024–2028), which prioritizes expanded surveillance and cross-sector collaboration. Participants from the plant and aquaculture sectors expressed commitment to implementing surveillance protocols to protect crops, consumers, and fish production systems, safeguarding both markets and public health. Draft surveillance objectives and preliminary sampling protocols were agreed upon and will be refined for integration into the national system under the guidance of the One Health Secretariat.
The workshop also enhanced linkages between sector representatives and national AMR coordination structures, paving the way for capacity building, resource mobilization, and data-driven decision-making. By including plant and aquaculture sectors, Zimbabwe has taken a significant step in combating AMR, reinforcing the principle that human, animal, and environmental health are interconnected.
