In 2018, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health (IYPH 2020) and invited the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), in collaboration with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC), to facilitate the implementation of the International Year. The IYPH 2020 is a once in a lifetime opportunity with the main objective to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development, as well as to highlight the importance of International, Regional, and National Plant Health Organizations.
In celebrating the IYPH 2020, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Land Reform (MAWLR) invites all Namibians to join the rest of the world in acknowledging and taking cognizance of the importance of Plant Health activities and services in Plant and Environment protection.
During IYPH 2020, the MAWLR and its developmental partners hereby invites and encourages sister Ministries, private sector, civic organizations, academia, and the public at large to:
• Work together in protecting the world’s plants against the spread of devastating pests,
• Carry out scientific innovation to address plant pest threats,
• Promote responsible practices that reduce plant pests spread, and
• Increase public and private sector support for more sustainable plant health strategies and services.
“Plants are the foundation of life on earth. They produce the oxygen we breathe. They provide more than 80 percent of the food we eat”.
Source : Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, and Land Reform (MAWLR)