A new research network is being established to understand how antimicrobial resistance (AMR) impacts UK food production. AMAST – the AMR in Agrifood Systems Transdisciplinary Network , will harness perspectives from across agrifood stakeholders and prepare new ways to tackle these challenges.
Ruben Sakrabani, Professor of Soil Chemistry at Cranfield University, is part of the AMAST expert senior team. He will examine the impacts of antimicrobials on soil – looking at how they bind to its surfaces, impact the various elements of our soil, and what affect they have on soil health.
Antimicrobial resistance presents a major threat
The rise of antimicrobial resistance presents a major threat to society. With more microbes becoming resistant to the drugs we use to control them today, our ability to prevent or cure disease is threatened in the future.
National and international governments and health agencies are taking action to combat antimicrobial resistance (AMR). UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is now supporting eight new transdisciplinary networks to tackle AMR.
The AMR in Agrifood Systems Transdisciplinary (AMAST) Network has been established to understand the challenge of AMR in the UK’s agrifood system. to support its work over four years.
Dr Colin Miles, Head of Strategy, Advanced Manufacturing and Clean Growth at UKRI, said: “Tackling the creeping pandemic of anti-microbial resistance – increasing resistance to antibiotics – is a large, complex problem. Ten million people each year are expected to lose their lives to it by 2050.
“Rather than taking single-discipline approaches, we need researchers from across disciplines to come together and look at all aspects of the problem – from human behaviour and how we grow crops and rear animals for consumption to how we manage the environment or use technology, clinical management strategies and challenging established cultural norms.”
Soil system health at stake
Antimicrobial substances, such as antibiotics, can get into soil systems via animals, including farmed fish, and through humans.
Professor Sakrabani will be conducting soil sample analysis and studies in specialist labs at Cranfield University as part of the project. He commented: “Antimicrobial resistance is an extremely complex and far-reaching issue, and there are many things we have yet to discover about its impact. But we do know from Covid the devastating effect that pandemics can have on our society, so it’s essential to investigate and mitigate any potential future risks that antimicrobial resistance could bring.
“Soil is a living system, so anything coming into that which affects its health could have knock on impacts for agriculture and the environmental systems that it supports. Finding out more about how antimicrobial substances affect soil will help us build part of the picture of this complex challenge, and help us find solutions.”
Cross-disciplinary research network to build picture of AMR
AMAST will, for the first time, bring together various agrifood communities with academic researchers from different disciplines, to identify from the bottom up the challenges AMR poses within agrifood, and then collaborate to develop solutions.
The network will be co-ordinated by Dr Matthew Gilmour, based at the Quadram Institute, with an international expert advisory panel providing oversight.
“We’re really excited to be part of this new community. The agrifood system is incredibly complex with a diverse community of key players that are involved in the production of safe and nutritious foods. So understanding the challenges of AMR requires a non-traditional approach” said Dr Gilmour.
The AMAST Network will involve members from different agrifood production systems, such as crop, livestock and aquaculture, from primary production through to the consumer. It will also bring in transdisciplinary academics, including bioscientists and social scientists as well as other areas that may not have previously engaged with AMR as a challenge.
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Through interviews, workshops and themed community meetings, all members of the network will be able to bring their perspectives on the key threats of AMR in agrifood. Through this the network will collectively identify and prioritise areas of opportunity, as well as understanding where more research is needed to plug gaps in our understanding.
You can find out more and sign up to the Network by visiting the website:
