Become a national #PlantHealth champion!

Do you wish to inspire change and raise awareness of plant health in your country? Become a national #PlantHealth champion! The #IYPH2020 global campaign requires the support of bold national advocates who will inspire others to take concrete actions and promote plant health at the country level

What can we do to support #PlantHealth?

We all need to respect plant health regulations that have been put in place to protect agriculture, forestry and the environment. Be careful about bringing plants and plant products (e.g. seeds, vegetables, cut flowers) across borders, even when you order from online sources. Everyday actions also include reducing your environmental footprint, protecting natural resources and spreading the word.

  • Be careful when taking plants and plant products with you when you travel as they may spread plant pests and diseases. Contact your national plant health authority beforehand to make sure that you are not infringing plant health laws.
  • Be cautious when ordering plants and plant products online or through postal services as small packages can easily bypass regular phytosanitary controls.
  • Spread the word about #PlantHealth on social media and in your community throughout 2020 and beyond.
  • Take daily actions to reduce your environmental footprint and actively engage in initiatives to protect and manage natural resources.

If you are a farmer or work in agribusiness, you can have a direct influence on plants, and the management of natural resources. Women and men who work in agriculture play a vital role in protecting plant health.

  • Prevent the spread of pests by using only certified pest-free seeds and seedlings.
  • Regularly monitor and report the occurrence of pests on your farms.
  • Adopt environmentally friendly pest-management practices – including those based on biological approaches that do not kill pollinators, and beneficial insects and organisms.
  • Take advantage of modern digital technology, mobile apps and software to access information about how to prevent and manage plant pests and diseases and to report outbreaks.

What can we do to support #PlantHealth?

Governments can protect plant health in many ways, thus enhancing food security, protecting the environment, and facilitating trade.

  • Promote public awareness campaigns on the importance of plant health and what everyone can do to protect plants.
  • Invest in plant protection organizations and ensure that they have adequate human and financial resources.
  • Invest more in research related to plant health and in innovative practices and technologies, and provide incentives for the private sector and farmers to do so too.
  • Ensure that phytosanitary import requirements are based on IPPC standards and are technically justified, consistent with the pest risk involved, represent the least restrictive measures available, and result in the minimum impediment to the international movement of people, commodities and conveyances.
  • Enforce plant health standards and strengthen plant protection capacity, including by conducting a phytosanitary capacity evaluation (PCE) in collaboration with the IPPC Secretariat.
  • Strengthen monitoring and early warning systems to protect plants and plant health.
  • Align policies and actions with sustainable development goals related to plant health, in particular those aimed at eliminating hunger and malnutrition and reducing poverty and threats to the environment.

Private sector businesses have a key role in plant health as they can contribute to the development of global plant health standards and help implement them. The private sector is also a driver of innovation in the plant-health domain and a key player in the production and protection of plants and plant products.

  • Promote environmentally friendly products and practices for preventing and managing pests.
  • Make trading and transporting plants and plant products safer by complying with international plant health standards and legislation.
  • Inform clients that transporting plants and plant products may spread plant pests and diseases – sometimes with devastating results.
  • Sustain innovative plant-health practices and the use of new technologies to facilitate market access in line with international standards.