FAO is reorganizing its humanitarian and resilience programming to ensure continued delivery of assistance where there are already high levels of need while meeting new needs emerging from the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19.

We are ramping up our field program to:

• Provide smallholder farmers and herders with seeds, tools, livestock feed and other agricultural inputs, along with animal health support, so they can continue to generate income and produce food for their families and communities;
• In communities where undernutrition and poverty are prevalent, distribute seeds and home gardening kits, food storage systems, and poultry and other small stock to improve household nutrition and diversify incomes. Similar activities will be undertaken in camps for refugees and the displaced;
• Everywhere we work, access to food will be stabilized by supporting people’s purchasing power through injections of cash (unconditional, or cash-for-work where feasible and appropriate), so that affected families can meet critical household needs without selling off key assets. We are working with governments to scale up social protection systems, especially in difficult-to-access rural areas.

Understanding how the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) emerged and spreads constitutes an important part of FAO’s capacity to contribute to efforts to prevent, contain and mitigate the pandemic. Other coronavirus outbreaks, including SARS-CoV-1 and MERS-CoV, were found to have an origin in animals. While presumed ancestor viruses have been detected in bats, the direct source of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has not been confirmed to date. The Joint FAO and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture is working, through its veterinary laboratory network in 69 countries, to support diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 in animals and monitoring of virus contamination in the environment. Within FAO’s COVID-19 Recovery and Response Programme, several projects are already in place as part of Preventing the Next Zoonotic Pandemic (PNP), that help countries to better prevent and mitigate risks related to SARS-CoV-2 at the animal-human interface and build national capacities in pandemic preparedness. 

By coordinating actions and facilitating information sharing, FAO supports countries in preparedness and response, prevention of food systems disruption, and appropriate risk mitigation with a One Health approach. FAO provides diagnostic equipment and training to laboratories, equips farmers and animal health workers with guidelines and conducts assessments, such as the risk of animal exposure with the support of specialist networks.

Recent evidence suggests that farmed minks may contribute to the genetic evolution and spread of COVID-19 within fur farming systems. While assessments of SARS-CoV-2 transmission at the animal-human interface continue, general advice remains to use hygienic best practices when interacting with domesticated animals to minimize the risk of potential spillovers of the novel coronavirus and other zoonotic threats.

The One Health approach means recognizing the connection between humans, animals, plants, and their shared environments in an integrated effort to reduce disease and pest threats and ensure safe food supply. It is well known that diseases circulate in animals and the environment, some of which can spill over and affect human health. FAO works continually to support countries to prevent, detect and control diseases and related health threats wherever they emerge. This includes monitoring the emergence of antimicrobial resistance as well as active programmes to combat and eradicate animal diseases such as peste des petits ruminants and African swine fever, as well as diseases that pass from animals to humans including avian influenza and rabies.

The interconnectivity of humans, animals and the environment is relevant in fighting any threat to food systems, agricultural production and livelihoods. This focus is particularly important in rural farming communities where animals provide transport, fuel and clothing as well as food. Embracing this challenge, FAO works with many partners, including WHO and OIE, to deploy a One Health approach locally and globally, with a special focus on bolstering capacities where needed and protecting the most vulnerable communities.