Today is international Day Of Plant Health||Plants Biosecurity:Plants also battle for survival
Every day, people observe different events such such as birthdays, marriage anniversaries, death remembrance of impactful persons, and other life achievements. These days are hardly forgotten and has become part of their lifestyles. On this line of thought, there is also a need to observe and support activities that sustains human existence and well-being.
To this effect, I write this article to bring to the consciousness of my fellow steemians in this agro community that, today the 12th of May, is usually set aside by the international community to observe plant health. As a farming community, I would say that this event directly befall on us make meaningful contributions on plant health.
About the international day of plant health
The United Nations marks every 12 May as the International Day of Plant Health. The objective is to create a global awareness concerning how we could protect plant health as means to end hunger, reducing poverty, helping to protect biodiversity and our environment. It also emphasizes on boosting economic development through plant health.
A call for Plant biosecurity for food security
The UN is using this day to propagate efforts on promoting plant biosecurity to ensure food security. This deals with the protection of plants and crops against dangerous or harmful organisms and diseases. This according to the UN's agenda, is to ensure a continuous adequate food production that are available and safe for everyone to eat.
Plant biosecurity for food security hinges on the prevention of the spread of organisms pests, viruses, fungi, bacteria, including weeds. These organisms and the weeds are very dangerous that they could cause severe damage to our crops and farms which would result to low food production.
It is a fact to note that, about 98 percent of the oxygen we inhale comes through the plants in our environment. Also, plants produce almost the entire food we eat. Unfortunately, over 40 percent of crops and plants are damaged by diseases and pests every during and after planting seasons. This has hindered the efforts farmers are making to produce food and nutritional requirements of everyone.
Plants biosecurity: plants also battle for survival
Plants life area threatened by a number of destructive organisms. To withstand these destructive threats, they really need to be protected and prevent the attacks from these destructive organisms. They should not lack Sunshine, water and other minerals that the soil should be enriched with because their survival depends on those resources.
Plants are experiencing hard times as climate change is also threatening their survival. Bad agribusiness activities and environmental pollution from human activities, are causing harm to plants health.
Since plants do not move, the effects of climate change distorts their growth, productivity and their entire life. They only depends on their inbuilt mechanisms to struggle to cope with the unfavorable weather conditions, and attacks coming from pests and diseases. If plants continue to suffer these attacks, there would be low plants productivity.
As we engage in different farming practices, farmers should be aware of the consequences of adopting harmful farming systems.
Efforts should be made towards ameliorating to harsh effects of climate change on plants. The increasing evironmental pollution is threatening the existence of plants. By this, the soil is fast losing its fertility.
Government should also come in to make laws in favour of effective land use for agricultural purposes; protecting plants and the environment.
As farmers, both large and small scale in this agro community, it is now more than important to adopt healthy farming practices, prevent plant diseases and pests, preserve the soil to boost food production. This is the message of this year's global day of plant health.
Let's share more about plant health in the comments section.
