One Health approach to design effective actions for the development of marginal areas

The study examines the application of the One Health (OH) approach, which links human, animal and environmental health, in designing actions for the development of marginal areas. The paper illustrates the origins and evolution of the OH concept, noting its shift from a specific focus on diseases to a broader vision that includes food sustainability and socio-economic development. A qualitative methodology is presented to assess how six different actions proposed in the context of the Italian Agritech Project, ranging from farm diversification to territorial cohesion, meet the OH principles, using a graphical representation to show the degree of integration of each action. The analysis reveals that only some actions manage to cross-cover all three dimensions of OH, underlining the need for a profound methodological evolution to overcome the current sectoral vision. Based on study outcomes, the paper discusses the challenges in implementing the OH model, particularly regarding the distinction between “health”, “welfare” and “well-being” in the context of socio-economic local policies.