The aim is to make visible the importance of plant health and the impact of protecting plant health on eliminating hunger, reducing poverty, protecting the environment and promoting economic development.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), this amount of pest-damaged crops results in commercial losses of agricultural products estimated at more than $220 billion a year.
It is estimated that agricultural production will have to increase by around 60 percent by 2050 due to growth in order to meet the nutritional needs of the population.
In addition, plants make up 80 percent of the food eaten and generate 98 percent of the oxygen on the planet.
International Plant Health Day was established with the aim of contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030, which relate to eradicating hunger and malnutrition and reducing poverty and environmental threats.
Plant health is a discipline that applies a set of measures aimed at controlling and preventing pests, weeds and other organisms that cause disease in plants, with the aim of preventing their spread to other areas through human interaction.
It is an essential aspect to secure plant resources through stable and sustainable ecosystems and thus ensure the food security of the world population in the production of food suitable for human consumption.
This day was launched as part of the celebration of the International Year of Plant Health, which promotes an awareness campaign on the essential role of plant health in the production of safe, nutritious and high-quality food for human consumption.
jha/crc