Cooperation at all levels and funding 'critical' for plant health and food security

Cooperation at all levels, together with effective funding, are critical in the fight against transboundary pests and diseases (TPPDs), which each year destroy up to 40 percent of the world’s crops, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Director-General QU Dongyu noted today as he marked the International Day of Plant Health.

Qu was invited to address government ministers from the Near East and North Africa (the NENA region) gathered for a conference in the southern Italian city of Bari.

The May 12-13 conference, which aims to rally support for the NENA Plant Health Strategy, was hosted by the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM), a Mediterranean intergovernmental organization established in 1962. CIHEAM, together with FAO and the Near East Plant Protection Organization (NEPPO), have developed a comprehensive Regional Strategy to address all concerns related to the TPPDs, focusing on strengthening coordination among member countries, improving pest management approaches, and capacity-building.

Plant protection is not only about safeguarding crops, “it is fundamental to preserving biodiversity, which is fundamental for food diversity and ensuring the right to food for all,” the FAO Director-General said, adding that “the right to food is a basic human right.”

The high-level attendance at the conference sent a clear message that plant health is critical for food security and nutrition, sustainable development, and resilience across the NENA region, and globally.

Migratory pests such as locusts and armyworms pose a significant threat to food security, trade, and livelihoods. It is estimated that up to 40 percent of global crop production is lost to plant pests and diseases each year, causing economic damage of more than USD 220 billion annually.

Such losses are particularly severe in the Near East and North Africa region, which is already vulnerable to the impacts of conflict and the climate crisis.

Algeria, Libya, Tunisia and other areas of Northwest Africa, for instance, are currently experiencing an invasion of desert locusts originating from the Sahel. A single swarm can cover several hundred square kilometres, with a single square kilometre of swarm containing up to 80 million adults. These pests can consume the same amount of food in one day as 35,000 people.

Since TPPDs know no borders, move fast and overpower national capacities, “no country can address these challenges alone,” Qu said. This is why “regional, and global, solidarity and cooperation are essential, partnerships are fundamental, and funding is critical,” he said.

FAO’s work on TPPDs

FAO promotes sustainable and ecological approaches to prevent and control the potential impact of TPPDs through continuous monitoring, early warning, and the promotion of innovative and environmentally friendly preventive control strategies.

Healthy plants are a cornerstone of FAO’s One Health approach, which recognizes that the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment are deeply interconnected.

They are also central to FAO’s Four Betters (Better Production, Better Nutrition, a Better Environment, and a Better Life- leaving no one behind), an organizing principle for the Organization’s work and the foundation of its Strategic Framework 2022-31.