2020: International Year of the Plant

By: Melissa Quill

In the midst of so many urgent threats to human health, such as disease, housing insecurity, and water insecurity, is it truly necessary to observe 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH)? The short answer, according to the United Nations (UN), is an emphatic yes!¹ While at first glance it may seem bizarre to dedicate an entire year to plant health, human wellbeing is invariably connected to and dependent on the health of plants. In addition to the more obvious role in providing nutrition, crops form the basis of economic development, and in turn, social empowerment.

To understand why it is important for the UN to observe the IYPH, it is necessary to understand what the threats are to plant health as well as the consequences when it is not achieved. Just like humans, plants are susceptible to disease caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungi. Invasive pests, in an environment free of natural predators, pose a significant threat to crops because the crops lack natural defenses against them. It only takes one sick crop to set off a chain reaction that has devastating effects on nearby crops that pests can spread to. Imagine invasive pests spreading through entire farms like wildfire. Imagine being the farm owner who just lost an entire season’s worth of sales, or a consumer who goes to the local market only to find bare stalls. A microscopic pathogen or pest can devastate entire communities.

Take pulse crops for example. Pulses, such as beans, lentils, and chickpeas, are not only great sources of protein, but are also staples in the ecosystem. They are uniquely able to convert atmospheric nitrogen into ammonium, and deposit this ammonium into the soil which can then be taken up by other plants.¹ When other crops are grown after pulses, they yield “1.5 tonnes more per hectare than those not preceded by pulses, which is equal to the effect of 100 kilograms of nitrogen fertilizer”.¹ If pulses are diseased and cannot grow effectively, not only is there a protein source deficit, but subsequent crops will either have a lower yield or will require more fertilizer. This results in additional costs to farmers and ultimately a great cost to consumers worldwide. Increased food costs is something we all would like to avoid!

 

To get an idea of what sick crops look like, take a look at this image borrowed from Grainews.² The brown and yellow areas in this field of pulses are suffering from root rot, a disease that can develop at any point throughout the growing process and cannot be reversed.²  It is safe to assume that this section of field will be low yield, low profit, and probably will take a long time to recover.

The economic impact of compromised plant health is staggering. The culmination of plant disease and pests result in the loss of up to 40 percent of global food crops each year.¹ Globally, the price tag associated with plant disease is a whopping $220 billion, with an additional $70 billion attributable to invasive pests.¹ It doesn’t take an economist to see that when harvest yields are low, the supply is reduced and the prices rise. When food becomes more expensive, already impoverished people face even more danger of food insecurity and nutrient insufficiency.

It is clear that the IYPH is aimed at supporting sustainable ecosystems and economic development, but it is also aimed at promoting gender equality. We see this in East Africa, where women are primarily responsible for growing pulses, all the way from planting the seeds to processing the final crop.³ In this way, pulses are a large source of income for women used to support their households and invest in health and education.³ Protecting the health of crops, therefore, is an important step in promoting women empowerment through generating income. Perhaps unexpectedly, plant health and equality go hand in hand.

Plant health is intricately linked to nutrition, economic development, and social equity. Establishing and observing an International Year of Plant Health provides hope that positive changes will come to human wellbeing and equality through international education and action. With the IYPH, 2020 might just be the year that establishes the roots of international sustainability and health equality.

References

1. “New UN resolutions sharpen focus on plant health, food safety and pulses.” Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 20 December 2018. Accessed 4 February 2019. Retrieved from: http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/1175295/icode/.
2. Epp, Melanie. “Managing aphanomyces and root rot.” Grainews, 26 February 2018. Accessed 16 March 2019. Retrieved from: https://www.grainews.ca/2018/02/26/managing-aphanomyces-and-root-rot-in-pulse-crops/.
3. Njuguna-Mungai, Esther. “Women and youth in pulse value chains: opportunities for inclusion of smallholders.” International Year of Pulses 2016, 14 December 2016. Accessed 4 February 2019. Retrieved from: https://iyp2016.org/news/303-women-and-youth-in-pulse-value-chains-opportunities-for-inclusion-of-smallholderswomen-and-youth-in-pulse-value-chains-opportunities-for-inclusion-of-smallholders.