International Day of Plant Health 2025

Published by BBNTEAM at May 12, 2025

Posted: Monday, May 12, 2025. 1:57 pm CST.

Every year, the international plant health community sets aside the 12^th of May to commemorate the International Day of Plant Health. The event which was set aside by the International Plant Protection Organization (IPPC) and first observed in 2022, honours the work of National Plant Protection Organizations (NPPOs) around the world as well that of plant health practitioners, specialized plant health organizations, and farmers. The aim is to raise global awareness and action towards protecting plant health to help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and the environment and boost economic development.

The concept of plant health, also commonly referred to as plant protection, is a specialized area of work undertaken by governments aimed at facilitating safe trade, contributing to food security and the protection of our natural spaces. The IPPC supports the global community through the development of International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs), and supporting capacity building of its contracting parties. The importance of plant health is undeniable. Plants are a source of 80 percent of the human diet, but it is estimated that up to 30% of the global annual crop production is lost to pests (220 billion US$) while 783 million people face hunger, a tenth of the world’s population. While several factors contribute to the problem of food shortages in many regions of the world, the losses of crop production by pests certainly greatly exacerbate the problem. Likewise, Invasive Alien species are one of the major drivers of biodiversity loss, and many of these are plant pests as well.

In Belize we have had our own share of tragedies caused by introduced pests. In the early 90’s, the pine forests in Belize were devastated by an introduced insect. The Pine Beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) destroyed almost all old growth pine forests and caused massive environmental impact due to ensuing fires, and the subsequent area-wide erosion affected our water ways. In 2009, the detection of Huanglongbing or “Citrus Greening” marked the beginning of a steady decline of the then booming citrus industry to almost total collapse in recent years. The recent detection of Fusarium in sugarcane is the latest threat to our largest agricultural industry, and like Huanglongbing, has the potential cause great economic losses if left unchecked.

Agriculture in this day and age faces even bigger challenges. Besides the very stringent market demands, farmers have to contend with the effects of a changing climate on all aspects of production, inclusive on pest dynamics. Global warming causes an increase in pest populations due to shortened life cycles. Extreme weather conditions cause stress and make plants more susceptible to pests. Natural biocontrol organisms become less effective. There is a wider distribution of pests adjusting to new areas previously unsuitable for establishment. Farmers respond by applying more pesticides, increasing pesticides residues in produce and compromising the health of consumers and the environment.

Fortunately, technological innovations are emerging to counter some of the problems caused by pests in plant production. Some of the recent tendencies and technologies include

Increased interest in the use of biocontrol organisms
Precision pest detection through tele-detection and spectral analysis
Precision application with unmanned aerial vehicles
Artificial Intelligence-enabled applications in pest management
GMO technology and Gene editing as a pest management strategy
High throughput sequencing for a higher level of precision pest diagnostics

The implementation of newer technologies and proven classic approaches continue providing us with tools to combat pests effectively. However more applied research and collaboration are needed to continue our endless quest to minimize the impact of pests nationally and globally.

This year, the theme for the International Day of Plant Health is the importance of plant health in One Health. The global community has been advancing the concept of One Health, and plant health is one of the main pillars of this concept. The concept brings together animal health, human health, food safety, environment and plant health. It is recognized that plant health provides the protection basis for food and feed production and contributes to food safety by ensuring safe food. The role of plant health in environmental protection likewise contributes to preserving natural areas and waterways.

On this special day, the Belize Agricultural Health Authority wishes to recognize the tireless efforts of its plant health, quarantine, and support staff in protecting the agricultural patrimony of our country. The two departments work in collaboration to regulate trade to ensure that devastating pests are not introduced by that pathway. Risk analysts evaluate and quantify such risks and establish appropriate phytosanitary measures. Other staff engage in surveillance work for early detection and for prompt eradication responses. Specialized staff work in the plant health laboratory to accurately identify pests in support of all these activities. All these activities support the industries of Belize, enabling yet another set of staff to effectively certify our commodities for various destinations around the world. This day honours the work of our dedicated staff, and our producers who make our country great. Happy International Day of Plant Health!

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