The year 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.
Visit the IYPH website or watch the video below to find out more.
Plant health is a vital element of feeding the global population.
Work conducted by the International Development Research Association found that the world’s food supply depends on about 150 plant species, of which just 12 provide three-quarters of the world’s food.
More than half of the world’s food energy comes from a limited number of varieties of three “mega-crops”: rice, wheat, and maize.
In 2018, farmers in the UK produced 14m tonnes of wheat, 5m tonnes of potatoes and 719 thousand tonnes of fruit. This would not have been possible without the wide range of measures taken by UK farmers and growers.