2010 World Food Prize laureate, David Beckman

10/12/11

By: Amber Hovey

2010 World Food Prize laureate described the idea of one health as it “just makes sense” during his Wednesday lecture titled, “One Health: World Health Through Collaboration. The lecture was presented in relation with the 25^th anniversary of the World Food Prize in Des Moines.

David Beckmann won the 2010 World Food Prize for his work in overcoming hunger and poverty in the United States and throughout the world. He has been president of Bread for the World since 1991, which has helped to strengthen political commitment  to programs aimed at helping the poor. Before that, he served at the World Bank for 15 years, overseeing projects and driving innovations to make the Bank more effective in reducing poverty.

The One Health approach is based on building a better understanding of the relationship between the health of people, animals, plants and the environment. 

“What happens to one impacts all the others,” said Elizabeth Hoffman, Executive Vice President and Provost.

Beckman described Bangladesh as a “clear example of one health.”

Beckmann lived in Bangladesh 35 years ago and when he went back he saw a place much different. People were not as poor and there had been developments and progress made, said Beckmann.

The people of Bangladesh’s main concern were now climate change and environmental stability, said Beckmann. Before, cattle were sickly looking, but now people hired men with motorized plows. Due to growth in the population, deforestation has occurred, and because of the lack of timber, people now rely on cow dung for fuel. Since there is less cow dung fertilizing the soil, soil depletion is now happening.

This is not the time to cut programs that provide assistance to those who need it, said Beckmann.

Throughout much of his lecture, Beckmann emphasized the importance of advocacy.

It is through advocacy, that people are able to get Congress to take action to reduce poverty, said Beckmann.

However, through budget cuts, two thirds of the programs that are targeted to helping the poor have been cut, said Beckman.

19 percent of the federal budget goes to programs to help the poor and less than six tenths of one percent of the federal budget goes to international development and humanitarian assistance programs, said Beckman.

“I’m struck that no one in political powers are stepping up to help programs targeted toward the poor,” said Beckman.

“We need a circle of protection around programs that help the poor in the U.S. and around the world.”

Beckmann’s lecture is the first of the One Health Lectureship Series established in the College of Veterinary Medicine in honor of Dr. Roger Mahr, CEO of the One Health Commission.

In a news release, Lisa Nolan, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, said, “We are delighted to partner with the One Health Commission, both in sponsoring Dr. Beckmann’s visit and in attaining its goal of becoming a clearinghouse for all things one health.”