Appendix A
Statement of Task
THE ROLE OF PLANT AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES ON DEVELOPMENT OF ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANT FUNGI AFFECTING HUMAN HEALTH: A WORKSHOP
A planning committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will organize and conduct a public workshop series to shed light on: 1) the magnitude of environmentally induced/selected antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in agricultural practices worldwide, with a focus on plant crop production; 2) the practices that contribute to AMR in human pathogens, 3) surveillance strategies, and 4) mitigation strategies.
The public workshop series will feature invited presentations and discussions to explore the following questions:
- What is the magnitude of antifungal use in crop production in high-, middle-, and low-income countries? How are such uses regulated?
- What are the mechanisms of AMR in plant pathogens and non-target environmental microbiota? How might this influence AMR in human pathogens?
- Which practices promote, prevent, or reduce the development of AMR in plant production environments, specifically in fungal pathogens? How does this affect risk of produce contamination with AMR pathogens?
- Are sampling and testing technologies for AMR surveillance in plant production systems adequate? What further evidence is
- needed to inform the use of antimicrobials worldwide? What further evidence is needed to understand the presence and effects of environmental AMR on human health?
The planning committee will organize the workshop, develop the agenda, select and invite speakers and discussants, and moderate or identify moderators for the discussions. One proceedings publication that reports on the presentations and discussions held during this workshop will be prepared by a designated rapporteur in accordance with institutional guidelines.
