While the impact of human activity on the environment is widely recognised today, the effects of environmental changes on humans are less frequently explored.
In this post I’ll be sharing my final projects from an interdisciplinary module I took last year that focused on the links between planetary health and human health.
In the first project, I looked at the correlation between increased agrochemical use in Sub-Saharan Africa and the spread of Schistosomiasis, a disease caused by parasites. These factors are indirectly linked as increased agrochemical use leads to snail abundance which are the main hosts for the parasites. I also evaluated the issue through a social and economic lens, focusing on the short term benefits of agrochemical use and groups that are particularly vulnerable to the disease.
In the second project, I created a policy brief on sustainable fishing practices in Eastern Africa which has a huge impact on human health. There were so many surprising yet interesting links between human health and fishing practices, such as the reproductive health in the rural fishing community. I created a stake holder analysis as well as a loop digram to show the interdisciplinary nature of the issue and how might policy makers tackle the issue.
Overall, the module reminded me of the reason why I chose my degree in the first place; I have always been curious about the ways human health overlaps with environmental factors. The module reassured me that such topics are indeed relevant in real life across different countries.
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