One Health

One Health intersections among animal, plant, human and ecosystem health

One Health is a scientific perspective that considers human, animal and environmental health as an integrated whole. The ultimate goal is to limit disease and maximize health by considering the numerous interactions within the human, animal, and environmental triad. One Health brings together experts from a wide variety of fields to enhance cross-disciplinary collaboration in order to solve some of the world’s most pressing health-related problems.  

Agriculture can be considered the heart of One Health as it represents the intersection of animal health, human health and environmental health. The mission of the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is to feed the world and protect the planet - goals which can only be accomplished with a collaborative, interdisciplinary and comprehensive scientific approach. Understanding the interconnectedness that exists within the living world, we can feed a growing human population while protecting the natural world at the same time.

As the human population expands, pressures exerted on our food supply (animals and plants) and on our environment increase. So too does mankind’s exposure to zoonotic disease agents. There is a national and global awareness that the health of domestic animals, wildlife and people are irrevocably linked to each other and to the environment. It is estimated that more than 75 percent of emerging and re-emerging diseases are either zoonotic or vector-born. Climate and the encroachment of mankind on natural habitats put additional stress on these interrelationships and enhance opportunities for disease exposure for both man and animals.

The University of Delaware is located on the Delmarva peninsula, which sits in the densely-populated Northeast corridor of the U.S. between the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River/Bay. The region provides an ideal One Health model due to its concentration of commercial poultry, its high-intensity crop production, and its significant habitat for wild animals, including waterfowl on the Atlantic flyway.