The United Nations declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). The Year was extended until 1 July 2021 due to the postponement of some key initiatives caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development.


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Plant Health Communication Guide

Read the IYPH final report

A lot has been done to promote plant health worldwide. Read the International Year of Plant Health final report and learn more about the key outcomes and legacies of the Year.

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Watch the Promo Video

Share this video on social media to inspire action for #PlantHealth!

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Welcoming our new #PlantHealth
advocates!


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My story

Fighting fall armyworm for family food security

Maintaining a hundred-year family tradition in Ecuador’s plantations

The doctor of flowers

Monitoring plant health from space

How farmer field schools improve lives as well as incomes

How plant clinics help farmers reduce crop losses due to pests and diseases

Using nuclear technology to fight a devastating parasitic plant in Africa

Teaching an old dog new tricks for plant health

Working together to eradicate a giant, skin-burning plant

Integrating plant, animal and human health while tackling ear rot and toxins in maize

Managing a notorious tomato pest in an environmentally friendly way

It takes a village to protect an ecosystem

Join Us

Whether you’re a business, NGO, journalist, media agency, or just a regular person, you can call for action to improve plant health and build a better future. Plan an event or spread the word, and let us know if you need our help.
We can provide you with a range of promotional materials in several languages – a brochure, video, event banner, web or social media graphics.


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Key Facts

Plants are life

Plants make up 80% of the food we eat and produce 98% of the oxygen we breathe.

Economic benefits

The annual value of trade in agricultural products has grown almost three-fold over the past decade, largely in emerging economies and developing countries, reaching USD 1.7 trillion.

A growing demand

FAO estimates that agricultural production must rise about 60% by 2050 in order to feed a larger and generally richer population.

Pest destruction

Plant pests are responsible for losses of up to 40% percent of food crops globally, and for trade losses in agricultural products worth over USD 220 billion each year.

Climate impacts

Climate change threatens to reduce not only the quantity of crops, lowering yields, but also the nutritious value. Rising temperatures also mean that more plant pests are appearing earlier and in places where they were never seen before.

Beneficial bugs

Beneficial insects are vital for plant health - for pollination, pest control, soil health, nutrient recycling – and yet, insect abundance has fallen 80% in the last 25-30 years.

Hungry pests

One million locusts can eat about one tonne of food a day, and the largest swarms can consume over 100 000 tonnes each day, or enough to feed tens of thousands of people for one year.

Plant Health Communication Guide

Communications Guide

Find out more about how you can take part and promote the International Year of Plant Health by reading our Communications Guide

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