UN adopts Resolution on ‘International Day of Plant Health’

• 31 Mar 2022

The UN General Assembly has adopted a resolution co-signed by Bolivia, Finland, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Tanzania to establish an annual International Day of Plant Health to be observed on 12th May.

• The day is a key legacy of the International Year of Plant Health, marked in 2020-2021.
• This will make 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.

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Importance of Plant Health

• Plant Health is an issue critical in addressing global hunger as plant pests and diseases cause massive crop losses and leave millions without enough food.
• Healthy plants constitute the foundation for all life on the earth, ecosystem functions, food security and nutrition.
• FAO estimates that plant pests and diseases cause food crop losses of up to 40 per cent. The damage they cause to agriculture exacerbates the current 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.