SLU forms strategic partnership with FAO for global health and sustainability

Last changed: 13 November 2024
A food market in Asia where you can see a few people and meat for sale. Photo.

SLU has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), laying the foundation for a strategic collaboration. This partnership will advance shared objectives in crucial areas, such as animal health, sustainable agrifood systems, and landscape restoration. By formalising their collaboration, SLU and FAO will work together to drive innovation, build capacity, and address critical global health and sustainability challenges.

SLU has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with FAO, setting the stage for a strategic partnership that enhances common goals in a wide range of areas, including animal health and sustainable agrifood systems. This collaboration is closely aligned with the goals of the SLU Future One Health Platform, an interdisciplinary initiative that addresses the complex relationships between animal, human and environmental health.

Knowledge, innovation, and capacity building for global health and sustainable development

The newly signed MoU is a foundational agreement to facilitate more specific collaborative initiatives between SLU and FAO. Through this formalised partnership, the two organisations aim to jointly generate and share knowledge, drive innovation, and build capacity in areas critical to both global health and sustainable development. While SLU has worked with FAO for a long time in different thematics, starting with veterinary capacity development in India in the 1950s, this is the first time the two partners have signed an organization-wide MoU.

Sara-Gräslund-2018-MP.jpg

"I am excited about this agreement, as it is taking our partnership with FAO to a new level and will pave the way for joint applications for external funding and expand opportunities for future collaborations," says Sara Gräslund, Head of SLU Global. “It is part of our strategy to strengthen the links even more between SLU’s science and policy and practice for a stronger impact in society."

A key focus of this partnership is animal health, particularly the prevention and control of animal diseases, zoonoses, and antimicrobial resistance. This focus directly supports the One Health approach, recognising that these issues require comprehensive strategies that bridge animal, environmental, and human health.

In addition to animal health, the MoU outlines collaboration on forest and landscape restoration, agrifood systems, and agroecology. These areas resonate with the shared commitment of SLU and FAO to sustainable land management, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem restoration. Given the urgency of climate change and biodiversity loss, these areas are essential to building resilient ecosystems that support both agricultural productivity and environmental health.

 

Facts: