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The United Nations designated 12 May the International Day of Plant Health (IDPH) to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and the environment, and boost economic development.

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.

2026 Theme: Plant biosecurity for food security. Ninety eight percent of the oxygen we breathe comes from plants. Eighty percent of the food we eat is provided by plants. But we lose as much as 40 percent of crops from pests and diseases every year, impeding efforts to provide food and nutrition for all. Plant biosecurity is like border control and hygiene for plants — checking, protecting and responding to prevent dangerous plant pests and diseases from damaging crops and disrupting their trade. It serves as a safety net, so we have food on our tables and farmers’ jobs are safe. It keeps international trade smooth and preserves precious biodiversity. Biosecurity tools such as international plant health standards applied in their trade underpin the FAO Four Betters by enabling better production, better nutrition, better environment and better lives for all, leaving no one behind.

Links:
Day of Plant Health