International Day of Plant Health 2023; May 12th.

 FORUM: "Healthy plants can help to end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development." International Day of Plant Health 2023.

The FAO is calling on everyone to raise awareness and take action to keep our plants healthy and help protect the environment and biodiversity. Plants are life – we depend on them for 80 percent of the food we eat and 98 percent of the oxygen we breathe. But international travel and trade has been associated with the introduction and spread of plant pests. Invasive pest species are one of the main drivers of biodiversity loss and threaten the delicate web of life that sustains our planet. Pests and diseases have also been associated with rising temperatures which create new niches for pests to populate and spread. In response, the use of pesticides could increase, which harms pollinators, natural pest enemies and organisms crucial for a healthy environment. 

Protecting plant health is essential by promoting environmentally friendly practices such as integrated pest management. International standards for phytosanitary measures (ISPMs) in trade also help prevent the introduction and spread of plant pests across borders. Follow the conversations with the hashtags: #PlantHealth, #12May, #PlantHealthDay

EVENTS:  Join the Hybrid Event held by the FAO on May 12th, from 13:30 to 15:30 CET to mark the International Day of Plant Health 2023. Register to participate and Get the Programme Agenda.

HOW TO GET INVOLVED!

Whether you’re a government, city, private business, NGO, journalist, a civil society organization or individual, we can provide you with a range of multimedia content in several languages to share, and to support your International Plant Health Day activity.

International Day of Plant Health 2022; May 12nd.

FORUM: Protecting Plant; Protecting Life. International Day of Plant Health 2022.

The Observance helps highlight issue of plant pests and diseases responsible for the loss of up to 40 percent of food crops, worsening hunger Join the conversation #PlantHealthDay.

FAO estimates that plant pests and diseases cause food crop losses of up to 40 percent, and the damage they cause to agriculture exacerbates the existing issue of growing world hunger and threatens rural livelihoods. Protecting plants from pests and diseases is far more cost effective than dealing with plant health emergencies. Once established, plant pests and diseases are often impossible to eradicate, and managing them is time consuming and expensive.

“Sustaining plant health promotes food security and nutrition while protecting the environment and biodiversity, and boosting livelihoods and economic growth, in the context of global challenges, particularly climate change,” said Jingyuan Xia, Director of FAO’s Plant Production and Protection Division.

“Making the general public more aware of the role of plant health and the ways we need to act urgently to curb the risks of plant pests and diseases, as well as understanding how to restrict the spread of invasive pests will make a significant contribution to global food security,” said Osama El-Lissy, Secretary of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC).

VIRTUAL EVENT- 12 May, 13:30 - 15:30 CET; Register to participate, get the IDPH2022 Programme.

Get Involved!

Whether you’re a government, city, private business, NGO, journalist, a civil society organization or individual, we can provide you with a range of multimedia content in several languages to share, and to support the International Plant Health Day activities. 

Contact IDPH@fao.org