Sustainable farming and antimicrobial resistance 

Opportunities from challenges

I studied at an agricultural university in Honduras, so I’ve always had an interest in agriculture, as well as the environment and rural development. I was interested in alternative ways of producing food, other than those we were taught, which were more industrial and chemical-based. While I was working on my dissertation for my undergraduate degree I started to read more about climate change, its impact and the vulnerabilities that some agricultural systems would face. Following this, I began working with environmental consultancies and NGO's on a project looking at sustainable agriculture. We went to farming areas of Panama to promote reforestation, agroforestry and silvopastoral systems in farming systems, so that we could help them have less impact on the environment.

My research project: sustainable farming and antimicrobial resistance

This project involved working with a diverse group of farmers, and I noticed that whilst some were very keen to know more about sustainable practices, others would join the project but disappear soon after. I wanted to understand why that was, and how adoption works now when it’s more important than ever that farmers shift agricultural practices to reduce environmental impacts. This sparked the idea for my MScR project, which focuses on the drivers influencing UK farmers to use pesticides, how they cope with antifungal resistance, and how alternative farming manages fungal diseases.

From my results and analysis I concluded:

1.   Despite that in previous studies, the economic factor had been resulted as the main barrier or driver of the transition, in my study the factor of farmer’s identities, mindsets, traditions was more important. Also, what current conventional farmers perceive as a barrier, alternative farmers used as a force to push their transition. For example, some farmers mentioned agronomists as a barrier, but for the farmers that have already transitioned, advisers and other farmers have served as a source of inspiration, instead showing the potential changing role of agricultural advisors.

2.   Farmers are aware and understand the how AFR is developed; but that was not enough to make them stop using fungicides or reduce the use. Farmers and agronomists mentioned different preoccupations from the consequences of banning chlorothalonil and tensions regarding the roles and dynamics in the relationship, which should be further investigated, is a complex collaborative work with direct impact in the use of fungicides.

3.   Alternative agricultural practices and good farming practices are not just good to reduce fungicides as a consequence of the development of resistant, but they are also a key part of the strategy to prevent the development of resistance. They have the potential to both prevent AFR, but also minimize the potential increase in the use of fungicides, if resistance is developed.

Read Arleen's completed thesis here

Managing the workload

What was useful to me was approaching the project like a job. I worked Monday to Friday, then had weekends off and made sure I took holidays. When I was in the data analysis stage of the project, there were times I would have the motivation to analyse transcripts for 12 hours a day, but my brain just couldn’t do it! One of the most important pieces of advice my supervisors gave me is that  sometimes you just have to step back from your data and have a break. You really need that to let your brain process information and interpret the data, so it's really valuable to have time to reflect and let the ideas come in.

What’s next?

Completing the MScR has opened up a lot of opportunities for me. I could do a PhD, which previously I never thought would be possible. I’d like to get more work experience first though, both to expand on future research ideas and to put my research into practice in the agricultural industry within the UK – particularly in addressing environmental challenges such as climate change, good environmental practices, adoption and effective behaviour change and antimicrobial resistance. I think my research project is something that will be relevant for other parts of the world, especially my home country Panama, so building on this knowledge and expertise will be really useful.