2016 AAAS Annual Meeting (February 11-15, 2016)

February 10 - 15, 2016

Pathogens Without Borders

Floating through the air or leaping from plant to plant, plant pathogens do not recognize or respect political borders. This session explores the challenges arising from the geographic ignorance of pathogens, as well as potential solutions. When battling plant pathogens, the first objective is to find out where the pathogen is, and where it might be going next. Building a surveillance network that is elastic and far-reaching requires in-depth engagement with farmers, scientists, policymakers, and other stakeholders across multiple countries and continents. Each of these stakeholders has their own policies, priorities, and self-interests. Solutions to fight the pathogen must then be found and disseminated among different nations and organizations. Effectively, data systems and knowledge sharing must be as flexible as the pathogen itself, able to traverse technological borders, such as differing capacities (i.e., sub-standard software and hardware) and varying data protocols in different countries. Despite these challenges, international collaborations across borders, systems, and societies is the best way to prevent potential epidemics that threaten food security world-wide.