The AMR problem: demanding economies, biological margins, and co-producing alternative strategies

Summary

This paper challenges the conventional framing of antimicrobial resistance as primarily a problem of inappropriate drug use, arguing instead that in biosocially demanding settings such as Bangladesh's shrimp and prawn aquaculture, resistance emerges from complex interactions of economic pressures, disease dynamics, and farmer adaptations. Through participatory research with aquaculture competency groups, the authors demonstrate that pursuing pathogen-free production to reduce AMR risk may paradoxically increase resistance pressures, and that effective solutions require adaptive management and multi-stakeholder engagement rather than regulatory approaches alone.

Regional applicability

The findings are specific to Bangladesh's aquaculture context where biosocial constraints differ substantially from UK conditions. However, the paper's broader conceptual argument—that AMR governance must account for local economic and biological pressures rather than assuming a simple technical fix—has potential relevance to UK food policy and aquaculture regulation, particularly regarding realistic implementation of antimicrobial stewardship in resource-constrained or economically pressured production systems.

Key measures

Farmer knowledge and adaptations to disease risk; economic and biological drivers of disease in aquaculture; perceptions of pathogen-free production strategies

Outcomes reported

The study examined economic and biological drivers of disease, farmer adaptations to disease risks, and the paradox of pursuing pathogen-free food production in relation to antimicrobial resistance in shrimp and prawn aquaculture. It demonstrated that antimicrobial resistance should be framed as an adaptive rather than technical challenge requiring ownership and experimentation across multiple sites.

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