International Day of Plant Health observed on 12th May

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. The Day is a key legacy of the International Year of Plant Health 2020. 

The Year was extended until1 July 2021 due to the postponement of some key initiatives caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development.

Key points:

Plants are the life of Earth and we all are dependent on them. How we breathe and what we eat are all affected by plants. They develop up to 80% of food for us and up to 98% of oxygen. But human habitation is harming the life of plants. Several diseases and pests kill up to 40% of food crops every year. This change is also affecting humans. This new day will promote that healthy plants constitute the foundation for all life on Earth and help aid food security and nutrition.

This is affecting both food security and agriculture, the main source of income for vulnerable rural communities.

Climate change and human activities are altering ecosystems and damaging biodiversity while creating new niches for pests to thrive.

International travel and trade, which has tripled in volume in the last decade, is also spreading pests and diseases. We need to protect plants both for people and the planet, and all of us have a role to play.