Reaching beyond crop protection: Synergism between agricultural development and malaria eradication: Synergism between agricultural development and malaria eradication

Although progress against malaria has slowed during the past 3 years, tremendous progress was made between 2000 and 2015 using mosquito, or vector, control to slow transmission of the parasite. The fragile market for vector control products and the need to prove their efficacy against disease have raised significant barriers for development and use of innovative solutions. Positive developments are the recent changes in the World Health Organization’s approval processes, inventiveness by industry and academia, and public health’s realization that data-driven, integrated vector control is a necessity if malaria eradication is to become a reality. Agriculturally based industries have much to offer by lending their expertise to this problem that has many of the same technical challenges as crop protection. Creative partnerships will be necessary to achieve malaria eradication by 2040, and the benefits will be transformational for both agriculture and public health.