Anthelmintic resistance occurs worldwide in strongyles of ruminants but data from low-income countries are sparse and rarely apply most up to date methods, while effects of management practices in these countries are poorly documented. In Mozambique, benzimidazole resistance has been previously reported; the present study followed this up in detail, applying in vivo faecal egg count (FEC) reduction test (FECRT), in vitro egg hatch test (EHT) and molecular deep amplicon sequencing approaches targeting the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS-2, nemabiome) and the isotype 1 β-tubulin gene to determine the resistance status on farms and the strongyle species involved. Adult Landim goats (433) from six semi-intensive and ten extensive farms (22-30 animals/farm) from Maputo Province were visited April 2021 to February 2022. Fenbendazole (5 mg/kg bw, Panacur®) was administered orally and FEC determined using Mini-FLOTAC. The eggCounts package was used to calculate FECRs with 90% confidence intervals from paired day 0 and 14 data. In vivo and in vitro tests detected AR on 5/16 (31%) farms. This included 1/10 extensive and 4/6 semi-intensive farms. The odds of finding resistant strongyles on a semi-intensive commercial farm was 40-fold higher than on an extensive farm (p = 0.016, logistic regression). A strong, negative correlation was observed between FECRT and EHT EC₅₀ values (Pearson's R = -0.83, P = 0.001; Cohen's κ coefficient 1.0). Nemabiome data showed that Haemonchus contortus, Trichostrongylus colubriformis and unclassified Oesophagostomum closely related to Oesophagostomum columbianum were most abundant before treatment and in particular H. contortus frequencies increased after treatment. Benzimidazole resistance associated polymorphisms were detected in H. contortus and T. colubriformis. Moreover, there were hints that resistance alleles were present in Trichostrongylus axei and Teladorsagia circumcincta. Farmers should regularly test the efficacy of anthelmintics used and consider more sustainable worm control approaches to reduce selection for resistance.

Environmental pollutants caused by mining activities are an emerging global problem of the current century, contributing to millions of deaths and significant economic and social effects. Mining discharges of heavy metals are the most studied, but their impact on food security is not well understood. The main objective of this study is to provide an overview of the environmental pollutants related to food insecurity in Southern Africa involving artisanal mining activities. A systematic review of peer‐reviewed publications was conducted using available electronic databases (PubMed, Science Direct, Scielo, EBSCO‐b‐on, and Google Scholar) from January 2013 to September 2023. Information on environmental exposure and consequent human risks and impacts in artisanal mining in Southern Africa was selected, analyzed, and synthesized. Our search yielded 867 records, and after systematic screening, 74 scientific publications were retained for the final analysis. Most studies (58%) focused on environmental pollutants related to nutritional conditions and food security. However, only 12% of the studies were related to artisanal and small‐scale contexts, with mercury being the most studied heavy metal in occupational and environmental hazards. In addition, few studies focused on vulnerable groups, such as women in reproductive ages and children, and none addressed water or vector‐borne diseases and/or malnutrition conditions. Environmental hazards related to mining activities are poorly described in the pathways that may influence food safety in surrounding communities exposed to mining activities. Most studies were related to occupational risks and hazards, with mercury being the primary focus. Future research should address the diversity of environmental hazards to which artisanal and small‐scale mining communities are exposed, including pathways of contact with pollutants and their consequences for the health and well‐being of the most vulnerable groups.