A participant of a farmers' field school shares research results with her community.  These community meetings promote healthier agricultural practices and seek new project participants. Photo by Jackeline Arevalo, Ecosalud II

The world faces unprecedented environmental challenges that are affecting human health and impeding equitable human and economic development. Climate change threatens to exacerbate health risks for millions of people who already struggle daily from inadequate access to food, shelter, and protection from infectious diseases. Rapid urbanization, intensification of land use, and high population mobility are increasing the risk of emergence of new and old diseases. Underlying these acute problems are environmental hazards, which continue to impose a considerable health burden on the world’s poor.

The new Ecosystems and Human Health Program capitalizes on a dozen years of IDRC experience in building the field of ecohealth. There is strong evidence that ecohealth approaches can improve both human and ecosystem health. Successful trade-offs between livelihood improvements and environmental and human health can be reached.

Ecohealth researchers can now make a substantial contribution to improving the health of people and the ecosystems that support them. The Program strives to support stronger ecohealth leadership and self-reliance in developing countries, active participation in policy processes and greater contribution to debates around development, environment and health issues.