Plants reportedly make up 80 percent of the food humans eat, and produce 98 percent of the oxygen we breathe. Yet, they are said to be under constant and increasing threat from pests and diseases.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has launched the United Nations’ International Year of Plant Health (IYPH) for 2020, which aims to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment and boost economic development.

According to FAO, up to 40 percent of global food crops are lost to plant pests and diseases every year. This is said to lead to annual agricultural trade losses of over $220 billion, leaving millions of people facing hunger, and severely damages agriculture – the primary income source for poor rural communities.

FAO has stressed that this is why policies and actions to promote plant health are fundamental for reaching the Sustainable Development Goals.

Protecting plants from pests and diseases is considered to be more cost effective than dealing with full-blown plant health emergencies. Plant pests and diseases are often impossible to eradicate once they have established themselves and managing them is said to be time consuming and expensive.

FAO and its International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) will reportedly lead activities to make the year a success as well as promote plant health beyond 2020.

The key objectives of the year are:

• Raising awareness of the importance of healthy plants for achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
• Highlighting the impact of plant health on food security and ecosystem functions
• Sharing best practices on how to keep plants healthy while protecting the environment.

FAO has stressed that governments, legislators and policymakers should empower plant protection organisations and other relevant institutions, and provide them with adequate human and financial resources. It added that they should also invest more in plant-health related research and outreach, as well as innovative practices and technologies.

Strategic partnerships and collaborative action with all stakeholders, including governments, academia and research institutions, civil society and private sector, are also essential to achieve the objectives of the International Year of Plant Health, noted Qu Dongyu.