Brush up your knowledge!

 

Healthy plants constitute the foundation for all life on Earth, as well as ecosystem functions, food security and nutrition. Plant health is key to the sustainable development of agriculture required to feed a growing global population by 2050. As FAO has welcomed the decision to establish an annual International Day of Plant Health (IDPH) on 12 May, brush up your knowledge on the topic through a selection of FAO titles highlighting the importance of plant health, and get ready to celebrate the day!

E-commerce: a guide to managing the pest risk posed by goods ordered online and distributed through postal and courier pathways
This guide provides a foundation for developing national legislation, policies, and procedures to address the challenges posed by large numbers of parcels moving through the mail and courier pathways. It highlights best practices to establish effective phytosanitary systems to prevent the introduction and spread of plant pests while facilitating safe e-commerce trade. 

Prevention, preparedness and response guidelines for Fusarium Tropical Race 4 (TR4) of banana
Fusarium Tropical Race 4 (TR4) of bananas is the biggest threat to worldwide banana production. These guidelines highlight actions to prevent the TR4 spread, highlight critical operational actions to prepare the governments' capacities to respond to TR4 outbreaks, and list actions to approach TR4 containment when detected in a new territory.

Emergency preparedness: a guide for developing contingency plans for outbreaks of quarantine pests
Rapid increases in overseas tourism, imports and exports, and mail; changing transport procedures and new trade pathways; and climate change are increasing the risk of the introduction and spread of plant pests. This guidance outlines how national plant protection organizations can effectively organize and allocate resources to ensure that pests are eradicated quickly or successfully contained.

IPPC Annual Report 2023 – Protecting the world’s plant resources from pests
This year’s edition provides an overview of the Secretariat's latest key achievements, including the celebration of the second International Day of Plant Health, on 12 May, the Federal Republic of Somali joining the IPPC as its 185th Contracting party, and the launch of the Africa Phytosanitary Programme.

Additional resources

About transboundary plant pests and diseases

• Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) Desert Locust Biology and Behaviour
• Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Desert Locust Ground Survey
• Project for Improvement of locust management – Phase 2
• Red Palm Weevil: Guidelines on management practices

About Fall Armyworm

• Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Farmer Field School (FFS) 
• Fall Armyworm Control in Action newsletter  
• General guidelines for developing and implementing a regional IPM strategy for Fall Armyworm control in demonstration countries

About pest and pesticides management

• FAO/WHO Joint Meeting on Pesticide Specifications (JMPS) and Joint FAO/WHO Meeting on Pesticide Residues (MPR) annual reports
• Soil Health for Paddy Rice

From the Rotterdam Convention

• Pesticide use, pesticide trade and pesticide indicators 1990–2019 – Analytical brief 
• Addressing hazardous child labour and reducing risks posed by hazardous pesticides  
• Eliminating hazardous child labour through safe and sustainable farming practices   
• PIC Circulars

From the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC)

• Strategic framework for the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) 2020–2030 Protecting global plant resources and facilitating safe trade
• Pest status guide – Understanding the principal requirements for pest status determination Rome 
• Surveillance guide – A guide to understand the principal requirements of surveillance programmes for national plant protection organizations 
• Guide to regulation of wood packaging material: Understanding the phytosanitary requirements for the movement of wood packaging material in international trade
  

Activity book for children

• Healthy plants, healthy planet
  

Still looking for knowledge? Have a look at the FAO Publications catalogue.