Cooperation at all levels & funding “critical” for plant health & food security, FAO says | FAO News

Bari, Italy – Cooperation at all levels, together with effective funding, are critical in the fight against transboundary pests & diseases (TPPDs), which each year destroy up to 40 percent of the world’s crops, Food & 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 & 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 & 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, & capacity-building.

Plant protection is not only about safeguarding crops, “it is fundamental to preserving biodiversity, which is fundamental for food diversity & 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 & nutrition, sustainable development, & resilience across the NENA region, & globally.

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

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

Algeria, Libya, Tunisia & 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 & overpower national capacities, “no country can address these challenges alone,” Qu said. This is why “regional, & global, solidarity & cooperation are essential, partnerships are fundamental, & funding is critical,” he said.

FAO’s work on TPPDs

FAO promotes sustainable & ecological approaches to prevent & control the potential impact of TPPDs through continuous monitoring, early warning, & the promotion of innovative & 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, & the environment are deeply interconnected.

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