Human beings owe plants a lot. Plants make up 80 percent of the food we eat and produce 98 percent of the oxygen that we breathe. However, they are increasingly under threat. Climate change and human activities have altered ecosystems, reducing biodiversity and creating new niches where pests can thrive. At the same time, international travel and trade has grown and pests and diseases have spread around the world, causing great damage to native plants and local environments.
Plants are often taken for granted, but their health is linked to ours – that’s why the United Nations has declared 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH). Our three IYPH advocates, Monty Don, Diarmuid Gavin and Rodrigo Pacheco, tell us why they feel Plant Health is important to their work and passions.
So, what do we mean by plant health?
Essentially, plant health means making sure plants are protected from disease and pests and can sustainably thrive in their natural habitats. Monty Don, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’s leading garden writer, broadcaster and FAO’s new IYPH Goodwill Ambassador for Europe, believes a healthy plant is one that “is able to sustain itself throughout its life — which might be a few months, or thousands of years for some trees — produce seeds and live healthily,” Monty says. “What is important is that we build up a kind of resistance and adaptability in plant production that is sustainable.”
Sustainability is necessary to protect our natural resources for the future, and Monty is right: it is key to ensuring plant health too. Unfortunately, we have not always looked after plants with their long-term health in mind. Preventing the introduction and spread of plant pests and diseases is far more efficient and cost effective than dealing with outright plant health outbreaks. Once they have established themselves, plant pests and diseases are often impossible to eradicate. An important part of sustainability is stopping problems before they start — for example by curbing illegal trade or transport of plants, growing plants in an environmentally friendly way or ensuring healthy plants are certified — rather than by relying on chemicals for their treatment.
When Irish garden designer, television personality and FAO champion of the IYPH, Diarmuid Gavin, began his career, he worked in a plant shop. There he was struck by the sheer number of chemicals that were sold. Similarly, when he went on to study at the Botanic Gardens in Dublin, chemical ‘treatments’ were a large part of the curriculum. He was appalled. How could the regular use of such harsh chemicals be conducive to growing healthy, sustainable plants?
In fact, after many years of excessive use of chemicals in gardening and farming, it has become clear that it is not a sustainable way to treat our precious plant resources. It has left damaged soils and altered ecosystems. Instead, it’s time to take a more environmentally and socially sensitive approach to farming and growing that focuses not only on production but also on ecological health.