Strengthen efforts in plant health

United Nations he designated May 12 as International Plant Health Day with the aim of raising awareness of how protecting plant health can help fight hunger, reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and the environment, and boost economic development.

Plant health is key to sustainable development of agriculture, as well as feed the growing world population between now and 2050.

It is undeniable that our health and the health of the planet depends on plants, As a source of oxygen that we breathe. Not just that. Plants come from most of the food we eat, the fibers that make our clothes, and various other materials for bioengineering and construction, among other products.

Climate change and human intervention humans also affect plant health due to ecosystem change and damage to biological diversity. This generally favors new niches for pests to increase their prevalence. Travel and international trade, the volume of which will triple between 2013 and 2023, are causing pests to appear in places not previously recorded.

There are many priority lines for advancing strategies which enable the strengthening of plant health, for example, Pest Risk Analysis (PRA), which must be articulated at national, regional and international levels and include new climate scenarios in its evaluation.

On the other side, epidemiological surveillance is a tool important for detecting the introduction of new pests or for controlling their spread. It is necessary to strengthen the regional vision of plant health, which requires joint efforts and coordination between countries and regions.

This implies greater harmonization of binding sanitary measures, recognition of equivalent systemsestablishment of reliable traceability systems, cross-sectoral integration and strengthening of institutions involved in these areas, as well as work in a coordinated and transparent manner through the articulation of all sectors involved in the countries, both public and private.

Also, global picture it seems complex because of the consequences Covid-19 pandemicthe current global economic crisis, wars and internal conflicts and a very unstable climate offer.

In response to all that, FAO contributes to advanced risk analysis pests by strengthening the technical and institutional capacities of countries to improve plant health. It also provides assistance in development of information systems and mechanisms sanitary coordination between countries to reduce the risks associated with transboundary pests and diseases.

2 The The organization provides policy guidance improve plant health, make crops they are increasingly sustainable in an economically, socially and environmentally acceptable way; and supports countries to effectively prepare them to detect, assess and respond to new pests, providing international and regional coordination to help members mitigate phytosanitary risk.

The organization reiterates its commitment to continued support strengthening of competent institutions fight against pests, and calls for the co-responsibility of the private sector, the articulation of the public and private sectors and the involvement of society as a whole. Protecting plant health by encouraging environmentally friendly practices is key!