Why an International Day of Plant Health?
The United Nations designated 12 May as the International Day of Plant Health to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and the environment, and boost economic development. The Day is a key legacy of the International Year of Plant Health 2020.
Plant biosecurity for food security
Ninety eight percent of the oxygen we breathe comes from plants. Eighty percent of the food we eat is provided by plants. But we lose as much as 40 percent of crops from pests and diseases every year, impeding efforts to provide food and nutrition for all.
Plant biosecurity is like border control and hygiene for plants — checking, protecting and responding to prevent dangerous plant pests and diseases from damaging crops and disrupting their trade. It serves as a safety net, so we have food on our tables and farmers’ jobs are safe. It keeps international trade smooth and preserves precious biodiversity.
Biosecurity tools such as international plant health standards applied in their trade underpin the FAO Four Betters by enabling better production, better nutrition, better environment and better lives for all, leaving no one behind.
Key messages
How can I help?
- Don’t bring plants, vegetables, fruits, tubers, seeds and soil when traveling as these could harbor pests and diseases that may not be visible.
- Be mindful of buying plants and plant products online. Always check the source and if the product requires a phytosanitary certificate before shipment.
- Report any suspected plant pests or diseases to your national plant protection organization.
Did you know?
- Plants make up 80 percent of the food we eat and produce 98 percent of the oxygen we breathe.
- Plant pests and diseases are responsible for the loss of up to 40 percent of global food crops, and for trade losses exceeding USD 220 billion in agricultural products annually.
- An adult Desert Locust can consume roughly its own weight, about 2 grams, in food every day.
- A 1 km2-sized swarm of 40 million Desert Locust could eat the same amount of food in one day as about 35 000 people.
- 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.
- FAO estimates that agricultural production must rise by about 60 percent by 2050 to feed a larger and generally richer population.
- 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 and diseases are appearing earlier and in places they were never seen before.
Join us!
12 May 2026
10:00 – 11:00 CEST
FAO headquarters
Rome, Italy
Or online via Zoom (link will be available soon)
Watch the live webcast with live interpretation in six FAO languages here (link will be available soon).
Get involved now!
Check out the guide available in various languages to start organizing your event. Whether you’re a government institution, a private business, a civic organization, NGO, journalist or an individual, we all have a role to play in raising global awareness to protect plant health.
Tell us how you’re celebrating the Day!
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