What is One Health?

One Health is an approach that recognizes the intersection of human health, animal health, plant health, and environmental health. As stated by the World Health Organization, “By linking humans, animals and the environment, One Health can help to address the full spectrum of disease control – from prevention to detection, preparedness, response and management – and contribute to global health security” (World Health Organization, 2025). Guided by the One Health philosophy, communities are better able to holistically respond to diseases that directly affect humans and animals, and contaminants that shake food and water systems.

The Yuma Center for Excellence in Desert Agriculture (YCEDA) is actively engaged in One Health activities, both in our scope of work and the multidisciplinary approach used to promote health in Yuma County. We work to improve soil health, support local growers to enhance conditions for food security, and use wastewater to understand disease dynamics and inform actions to minimize disease spread. Our One Health laboratory also employs a vigorous surveillance approach, integrating expertise from a range of sectors including epidemiology, environmental science, and molecular biology to maximize the potential of WBE to advance public health infrastructure and offer hope for a healthier future.

YCEDA’s “One Health” laboratory is dedicated to addressing contemporary challenges and promoting the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment. Understanding that aspects of community health are interrelated, our laboratory utilizes wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) to monitor human disease, contaminants of emerging concern, animal health, and more. WBE’s capacity to analyze concentrations of biomarkers and chemicals in wastewater makes it a uniquely suitable method to rapidly detect disease outbreaks in both human and animal populations as well as provide insight into potential chemical or other substance concerns.

YCEDA collaborates with communities across the country, implementing precise analyses and innovative solutions in both public and private partnerships to advance public health through WBE. Our pioneering research is shaping the future of health!