The commemoration of the International Day of Plant Health on May 12 highlights the importance of all stakeholders' collaboration in ensuring that the world’s biodiversity is protected, without which we will perish.
Plants play a significant role in maintaining life on Earth, accounting for 80 per cent of the food we consume and 98 per cent of the oxygen we breathe. As such, everyone must take action to keep our plants healthy and ensure food safety for sustainable economies and livelihoods.
According to the World Bank, in most developing countries, especially in Africa, agriculture accounts for more than 25 per cent of the gross domestic product, making it one of the most powerful tools for feeding billions of people, ending poverty and enhancing economic growth.
Therefore, special emphasis must be put on plants and the agricultural sector for healthy, sustainable and inclusive food systems to deliver food security and nutrition for all.
However, multiple shocks and disruptions to plant health and biodiversity continue to pose a significant challenge to food security. Covid-19-related impacts, pests, conflicts and climate change are contributing risks, making it hard to end global hunger by 2030.
The effects of climate change alone could cut crop yields in the world’s most food-insecure regions. For instance, the ongoing floods in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania have ravaged agricultural land and exposed the region to food insecurity.
Before this, the region experienced consecutive seasons of drought. These climate change-induced disruptions have significantly impacted biodiversity, worsening the situation for most countries.
The use of pesticides for pest control has continued to pose health challenges to consumers and farmers, and contributes to environmental pollution.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, one major challenge to plant life is the ever-increasing number of pests and harmful pest management techniques. FAO notes that pests account for over 40 per cent of losses of food crops globally and for $220 billion (Sh28.8 trillion) of trade losses in agricultural products.
Therefore, approved pest control mechanisms and appropriate handling are needed. Targeted farmer-based capacity-building programmes, education and awareness campaigns would also be critical in creating awareness of sustainable practices for managing plant health.
Protecting plant life and health is a step forward and an integral part of achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which endeavours to harness strategies from various stakeholders, including policymakers, national governments, development partners and others, to ensure an end to poverty, food insecurity and other deprivations while tackling climate change.
Setting aside May 12 every year to emphasise the importance of plant health is a step towards positive change. Critical declarations must be continuously made and implemented to maintain plant health. It is also crucial to note the importance of promoting integrated pest management strategies to ensure that Africa achieves its food systems transformation goals.
Further, to achieve this, key stakeholders must insist on the collaboration between public and private entities in providing smallholder farmers resources to adopt sustainable practices, which include the production and use of biological control agents instead of harmful pesticides.