What challenges and opportunities await animal health and welfare in the coming decades? To celebrate WOAH's 100th anniversary, he gathered over 70 participants from around the world to participate in a collaborative forecasting project. Together, participants explored change, envisioned possible futures, and learned how to act proactively.
What if artificial intelligence was used to address the global shortage of veterinary labor? What challenges will rapidly rising water temperatures pose for aquaculture and fishing in general? Turning 100 seems like the perfect time to take a step back and think about what happens next.
From September 2023 to January 2024, the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH) led a visionary project that brought together over 70 stakeholders from the animal health and welfare sector. The goal is to use foresight to imagine possible futures and gather insightful ideas to make informed decisions and strategies.
Why does WOAH use foresight?
Interest in foresight is growing as more individuals and organizations realize that embracing uncertainty and analysing multiple futures is key to surviving the challenges of the 21st century. In this context, members asked WOAH to establish a foresight initiative at the regional and global levels in 2019. The goal was to navigate, plan for and adapt to uncertain futures.
In response, WOAH has begun to use visionary methods to raise awareness of ongoing or emerging changes, opportunities, or disruptions in the field of animal health and welfare and beyond. These techniques include examining the impacts of trends and emerging issues, such as climate change, through scenarios that guide decision-making and policy by helping to test existing strategies and develop new ones. Visionary fosters the ability to embrace uncertainty rather than trying to eliminate it. This allows organizations and their members to see the present from a different perspective.
From the eco-revolution to space exploration: 5 scenarios for animal health
To celebrate WOAH's 100th anniversary, a participatory foresight project was organized in a series of consecutive workshops. To ensure a youth perspective, members of the International Veterinary Student Association (IVSA) participated along with experienced animal health and welfare professionals. They investigated current and emerging trends and drivers of change, such as AI, biothreats, medical advances, and climate change, and constructed various possible future scenarios.
Five scenarios were drafted. “The Rise of the Eco-Revolution” explored the impact of climate change and the spread of biotechnology on food systems. “At WOAH, we trust” addressed the impact of misinformation and declining public trust in the context of the food system crisis. “The Hunger Games” depicted the collapse of the food system due to political and economic tensions, as artificial intelligence becomes central to addressing animal health and welfare challenges.
“Animal Health, From the Ocean Floor to the Stars” explores how technological developments in animal production and the growth of the space industry intersected to create the first extraplanetary satellite farms. Farming for Resilience explores the impact of the polycrisis on agriculture, the diversity of farming practices, from small-scale cooperatives to robot-driven farming, and the wide variety of superbugs unleashed on the world by the dark side of science. explained.
In a final series of workshops, participants developed innovative strategies to address the challenges described in these scenarios. Each participant contributed with their own priorities in mind, discovering additional priorities along the way. Solutions were explored holistically, ranging from exposing young children to science and experimentation, to training all veterinarians in innovative techniques, to strengthening One Health approaches globally.
Fostering long-term vision and current action
What major challenges will animal health and welfare face in the future? Participants of the Foresight Project, representing young people, gave their opinions. His IVSA member from India, Anand Rajaji, said, “The growing popularity of meat and milk alternatives requires comprehensive research” and that “increasing antimicrobial resistance requires urgent action.” ”. “Deforestation and pollution are the root causes of many emerging diseases, climate change, human-animal conflict and other environmental problems,” said Anna Wilson, her IVSA Animal Welfare Chair from India. Ta. “The enormity of our challenge became more apparent to me,” she added.
The Foresight Project confronted each participant with the reality of the challenges ahead, but it also encouraged dialogue and collective brainstorming.
The future holds exciting challenges filled with opportunities for positive change.
Marta Macerdoti
One health chair at IVSA in Italy.
A community committed to animal health and welfare
The importance of the animal health and welfare sector and the responsibility of its actors in addressing current and future challenges has never been clearer. “It is becoming increasingly clear that animal health is interconnected with the biggest problems facing the world today. It is precisely their sheer magnitude that should give us unwavering hope that the world, and especially young people, will come together to address them,” said Mehdi Amrani Souri, IVSA member from Morocco.
Faced with the myriad possible outcomes of today's trends, participants in the Foresight Project found solace in this community. As a collective image of the future emerged, the group developed a shared perspective on what was possible and fostered a shared sense of identity and possibility.
When I realized there were like-minded people out there trying to bring about fundamental change to the systemic challenges we face, my vision for the future changed for the better.
Lisa Buren, an IVSA member from the Netherlands.
What is foresight?
Foresight is the field of study that identifies currently emerging trends and issues and uses this insight to predict future possibilities. Future possibilities are intended to support current decision making. Utilize strategic thinking skills to make strategic decisions. Foresight can involve a variety of techniques.
