INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PLANT HEALTH 2022: 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.
International Day of Plant Health: History
To raise awareness for the safety of plants, The United Nations recently announced that May 12 will mark International Day of Plant Health. The day was promoted by Zambia and was taken into action by the UN General Assembly. The resolution under which they adopted the decision included Finland, Bolivia, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Tanzania.
International Day of Plant Health: Significance
Human activities and climate change are highly affecting the ecosystem and harming biodiversity. People need to be aware about the drastic change and take quick action on the health of plants, for the good of both people and the planet.
On International Day of Plant Health, we come together to educate each other on how protecting plants can have a huge effect on reducing poverty and hunger, protecting biodiversity, and promoting employment.
In a press release, FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol said, “The International Day of Plant Health will be an opportunity to highlight the crucial importance of plant health, both in itself and as part of our One Health approach, encompassing human, animal, and ecosystem health.” FAO is the Food and Agriculture Organization, an arm of the United Nations with an aim to defeat hunger and improve food security.
Along with other advantages, the International Day of Plant Health also helps the United Nations to reach a lot of its sustainable development goals. These goals include minimizing the threat to our environment and reducing poverty and hunger.
This year’s International Day of Plant Health can highlight measures to prevent diseases for several food crops. We are still underdeveloped in plant science and there are several diseases that are harming breakfast crops. Mankind is still unaware of these harms and this day is to raise awareness about the same.
