The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has called for intensified action on plant health and innovation to safeguard the future of the global food supply, warning that rising risks from pests and diseases threaten the foundation of food security. The call came at the opening of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) Global Workshop on Systems Approaches, held in collaboration with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), Chile’s Agricultural and Livestock Service (SAG), and the Plant Health Committee of the Southern Cone (COSAVE).
Chile’s Minister of Agriculture, Ignacia Fernández Gatica, inaugurated the workshop, highlighting the country’s experience in maintaining phytosanitary protocols for exports such as cherries, blueberries, and kiwis. She emphasized the importance of international collaboration and the exchange of best practices to protect national plant health resources while ensuring safe trade.
FAO Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, Rene Orellana Halkyer, stressed that plants are the cornerstone of human survival, providing 80 percent of the calories we consume and 98 percent of the oxygen we breathe. “Yet their health is increasingly threatened by biotic and abiotic risks, even as global demand for food, feed, fiber, and biofuels rises,” he said. Current estimates suggest that food production will need to grow by 50 percent by 2050, with around 80 percent of this increase coming from plant-based products. However, up to 40 percent of global agricultural production is lost annually to pests and diseases, causing economic losses exceeding USD 220 billion.
Enrico Perotti, IPPC Secretary, noted that the workshop is a crucial step toward harmonizing phytosanitary measures worldwide. “By promoting systems approaches, we empower countries to maintain plant health while facilitating safe, sustainable, and less restrictive trade,” he explained. Systems approaches involve the combined application of multiple protective measures to prevent the introduction and spread of pests in international trade.
Over five days, more than 100 representatives from national and regional plant protection organizations, government entities, and the private sector will share technical knowledge, practical tools, and international experiences. The workshop aims to strengthen plant health capacity globally and enhance the safe trade of plants and plant products, contributing to resilient agricultural systems and a secure food future.
