From The Soil to Our Body: My Journey to Appreciating the Role of Agriculture in Medicine

INTRODUCTION

As a young African boy, and growing up watching a lot of Hollywood movies, I grew up with so many dream profession (Astronomy, Medicine, Engineering, footballing), but as i grew older and figuring out that life is not as it seems, i narrowed my decision to studying Medicine in the University. I had fixed my mind on this course and worked vigorously; reading day and night to achieve this dream.

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After writing the University Entrance examination to my satisfaction, I was disappointed when the results was released as i didn't make the cut. I was given an option to study in any field of Agriculture of my choosing being that Medicine and Agriculture have equal subject combination in Entrance Examination in our Country (Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Agriculture).

I outrightly refused to take advantage of the given opportunity, but had to succumb to pressure from family and friends and moreover, I wasn't growing any younger.

I had a love-hate kind of relationship with my new found course of study agriculture in my first year in school, but came to appreciate it in my second year after discovering the lovely relationship between Agriculture and Medicine.

Agriculture has a direct correlation with health and are linked in many ways. First, agriculture is essential for good health: it produces the world's food (sugar for cellular energetics, tissue maintenance, and replacement repairs), fibre, and materials for shelter.

Different fields of agriculture and its relationship with medicine have really been a thing of fascination to me, thus:

Fields of Agriculture includes:

• Fisheries and Aquaculture and Aquatic Environmental Management
• Soil and Crop Science
• Animal Science (including husbandry and veterinary medicine)

Fisheries and its Relationship to Medicine

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Fish food is regarded as a superfood, and superfood is defined as a food that has a whole range of nutrients in large amounts – a food that really offers fantastic nutritional benefits to anyone who eats it. Fish is a powerhouse of vitamins, minerals and protein, not to mention the ever-more important omega-3 fatty acid, good for the heart and rarely found in non-fish foods.

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Some fish extract is already of medical significance.

Omega-3 fatty acid helps in the following respect:

• Helps maintain normal brain function
• Needed for healthy vision
• Helps to keep blood triglyceride levels healthy
• Helps with normal brain development in babies during pregnancy when eaten by the mother
• Helps with normal visual development of babies up to 1 year

Fish like the Haruan fish has proven its medical usefulness in wound healing, anti-inflammatory and serves as an anti-oxidant (has a possible application in anti-cancer therapy). Secondly, a substance found in the livers of dogfish sharks could help treat Parkinson’s disease, cancer and eye problems.

Crop, Soil Science and their Relationship with Medicine

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Soils is fundamental to life and is important to the human health in a number of ways. Approximately 78% of the average calorie consumption worldwide comes from crops grown directly in soil, and another nearly 20% comes from terrestrial food sources that rely indirectly on soil. Soils are also a major source of nutrients, and they act as natural filters to remove contaminants from water, making it pure for drinking.

A healthy soil functions as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals and humans. Soils host a quarter of the world’s biodiversity and have provided tools for medicines and antibiotics. Soil is both the source of and a means to eliminate disease. Exploration of the life cycle and management of soil-borne pathogens can help reduce food contamination and improve human health.

Harnessing the microbial diversity in soils for the development of new pharmaceuticals has been ongoing and isn't going to stop.

Animal Science and its Relationship to Medicine

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Veterinary science a branch of Animal science, helps human health through the monitoring and control of zoonotic disease (infectious disease transmitted from non-human animals to humans), food safety, and indirectly through human applications from basic medical research. They also help to maintain food supply through livestock health monitoring and treatment, and mental health by keeping pets healthy and long living.

In certain cases which does not require deep medicine, veterinary doctors could offer light medical assistance to people if the need arises. The basic training in both veterinary medicine and human medicine are somewhat similar.

Consumption of good and quality meats and meat derivative definitely ensures a healthy and quality living (without diseases)

In conclusion, the relationship between agriculture and health may seem intuitive, simple and under-emphasized — grow more crops and people will have more food and live healthier lives, whereas, the reality seem much more complex.

Despite a huge increase in agricultural productivity and food availability the world over, about a billion people remain chronically undernourished and by proxy unhealthy.

Author's Note:

Growing up in Africa, and like other African youths, I had a negative perception regarding agriculture. As i unwillingly ventured into the field of agriculture, i realized that having a profession that requires wearing ties, suit, sitting in an office etc doesn't make those wearing rain-boots and working in the field, fishing, breeding and taking care of animals poorer or even lesser of a human being with regards to societal statusque.

This has been a bane in Africa and has rendered so many youth either unemployed or out of school or both.

Reversing this trend should be our priority in our quest to taking our continent to the next level on the Global stage.

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