Agriculture

Description

Agriculture is the art of farming and involves the cultivation of the soil to grow crops and the rearing of livestock to produce food and other by-products [National Geographic Society]. 

Agriculture is the major source of food supply globally and is an important component of the earth’s ecosystem [Viana 2021]. 

Impact

The evidence base for the impact of agricultural interventions on cardiovascular outcomes is poor.

Results of reviews have shown that agriculture has positive effects on nutrition and can promote physical activity [Girard 2012; Atkinson 2015]. However, it is also known that farming practices can be associated with prolonged exposure to harmful pesticides and increased risk of food-borne diseases [Damalas 2011; Waterman 2009]

Results

One review (n=13 studies) that explored the relationship between agricultural engagement and cardiovascular disease was included [Sørensen 2020]. The studies were conducted in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

There was no significant difference in the prevalence of coronary heart disease (CHD) between agricultural, business, professional, government and household workers [Sørensen 2020].

Compared with non-agricultural workers (living in predominantly urban settings), rural agriculture workers had a lower prevalence of hypertension, overweight and obesity [Sørensen 2020].

Compared with non-agricultural workers (living in predominantly urban settings), rural agriculture workers had a higher prevalence of underweight and smoking [Sørensen 2020].

Strength of the Evidence

High-quality evidence was lacking.

Resource implications

The review did not assess the resource implications of agricultural engagement in urban environments.

Recommendations

• Universally agreed guidelines on how best to measure and categorise employment when investigating chronic disease outcomes should be a priority.
• Future studies should be of rigorous design and also make adjustments for potential confounders.

Related Resources

• National Geographic Society. “The Art and Science of Agriculture.”
• Viana 2022. “Agricultural land systems importance for supporting food security and sustainable development goals: A systematic review.” The Science of the total environment vol. 806,Pt 3 (2022): 150718. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150718.
• Damalas 2011. “Pesticide exposure, safety issues, and risk assessment indicators.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 8,5 (2011): 1402-19. doi:10.3390/ijerph8051402.
• Waterman 2009. “Foodborne outbreaks and agricultural practices: should public health prevention start in the field?.” Journal of environmental health vol. 71,7 (2009): 61-3.
• Girard 2012. “The effects of household food production strategies on the health and nutrition outcomes of women and young children: a systematic review.” Paediatric and perinatal epidemiology vol. 26 Suppl 1 (2012): 205-22. doi:10.1111/j.1365-3016.2012.01282.x.
• Atkinson 2015. “Human development, occupational structure and physical inactivity among 47 low and middle income countries.” Preventive medicine reports vol. 3 40-5. 4 Dec. 2015, doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2015.11.009

Reference to Reviews

Sørensen 2020. “Is agricultural engagement associated with lower incidence or prevalence of cardiovascular diseases and cardiovascular disease risk factors? A systematic review of observational studies from low- and middle-income countries.” PloS one vol. 15,3 e0230744. 31 Mar. 2020,