Zimbabwe advances One Health action by bringing plant and aquaculture sectors into AMR surveillance

ZIMBABWE – Zimbabwe has taken a significant step toward strengthening its One Health response to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by formally integrating the plant and aquaculture sectors into the national AMR surveillance system, a long-identified gap that poses a threat to food production, trade, and public health.

The move follows a two-day orientation workshop held last week in Kadoma, convened by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) with support from the One Health Secretariat. 

The meeting brought together experts from plant and aquaculture systems to align these sectors with Zimbabwe’s AMR priorities and the National Action Plan on AMR (2024–2028).

Although Zimbabwe has made progress in human, animal, and environmental AMR monitoring, surveillance in plant and aquaculture systems remains limited despite their growing importance for national food security and economic growth. 

The workshop aimed to close these gaps by orienting officers on the country’s AMR landscape, enhancing cross-sectoral understanding of One Health, and developing draft surveillance protocols that can be embedded into the national system.

“AMR does not respect sector boundaries. By incorporating plant and aquaculture health systems into AMR surveillance strategy, we are closing critical gaps and ensuring a truly integrated One Health response,” said Tinashe Hodobo, Animal Health focal point in the One Health Secretariat.

Participants spent the first day reviewing AMR and One Health concepts, existing surveillance structures, and gaps in both sectors before engaging in situation analysis and integration planning. 

The second day focused on drafting sampling protocols and action plans, culminating in presentations of draft outputs and a roadmap toward implementation.

Helping Zimbabwe meet global standards

FAO officials emphasized that including these sectors is not only timely but also aligns Zimbabwe with international best practice for AMR governance.

“Strengthening AMR surveillance in plant and aquaculture sectors is not only a national priority, but also a global imperative. This initiative positions Zimbabwe within international best practices and underscores FAO’s role in advancing the global One Health agenda,” said Kudzai Vhoko Tapesana, FAO’s National AMR Coordinator.

Representatives from both sectors welcomed the initiative. Plant-sector delegate Tinashe Runyanga noted that the workshop “opened our eyes to the role plants play in AMR dynamics.” 

At the same time, aquaculture representative Robert Kamutambuko said surveillance will help ensure sustainable fish production and safeguard markets and health.

The outcomes directly support Zimbabwe’s AMR National Action Plan (NAP 2.0), which calls for expanded surveillance, stronger collaborations, and data-driven decision-making across food and agriculture. 

Participants agreed on draft surveillance objectives, preliminary sampling protocols, and future capacity-building needs. These drafts will now be refined for formal integration into the national surveillance framework under the One Health Secretariat.

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