Agricultural Plastics, the Good, the Bad and the Ugly
A joint conversation between FAO and UNEP on the use of plastics in agriculture
Tuesday, December 7 at 14:00!
In conjunction with World Soil Day, which is celebrated every year on 5 December, FAO and UNEP will host a joint discussion on 7 December on the benefits and trade-offs of plastics use in agriculture, and the opportunities and challenges for improving their sustainability. FAO will share the main findings from its latest report and UNEP will present the working paper “Plastics in Agriculture: sources and impacts”. The session will include a panel discussion with colleagues from the Global Soil Partnership.
Agricultural plastics have delivered benefits including improved yields, reduced water use, reduced food loss and waste. However, agricultural plastics also cause damage to the long-term viability of soils, pollute our waters, and harm animal and human health. Tackling plastic pollution in agriculture is a pressing concern. It is now essential to support the transformation towards sustainable agri-food systems. Thus, the newly published report “Assessment of agricultural plastics and their sustainability: a call for action”, comes at a pivotal time.