Did you know that plants make up 80% of the food we eat and 98% of the oxygen we breathe?
Both our health and the health of our planet depends on plants and yet, plant health is increasingly under threat.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that up to 40% of food crops are lost due to plant pests and diseases every year.
Not only does this affect both food security and agriculture, but it also impacts the main source of income for vulnerable rural communities in the world.
Climate change and human activities have altered ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and creating new niches where pests can thrive.
The United National General Assembly declared May 12th as International Day of Plant Health (IDPH), as an opportunity to raise global awareness on protecting plant health.
The five goals of IDPH are:
- To increase awareness on the importance of keeping plants healthy to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (particularly the Sustainable Development Goal 2 of Zero Hunger)
- Campaign to minimize the risk of spreading plant pests through trade and travel, by triggering compliance with international plant health standards
- Strengthen monitoring and early warning systems to protect plants and plant health
- Enable sustainable pest and pesticide management to keep plants healthy while protecting the environment
- Promote investment in plant health innovations, research, capacity development and outreach
“On this very first International Day of Plant Health, we will reflect on plant health innovations for food security,” states QU Dongyu, Director-General at Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
“We need to continue raising the global profile of plant health to transform agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable.”