2020, a year to highlight the role of plant protection products

The designation of 2020 as the International Year of Plant Health by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) represents a well-deserved recognition of the crucial importance of research and development of treatments for plant and crop protection for the future of our society.

The plants that make up our environment are responsible for producing around 80% of the food we eat. However, society as a whole too often forgets that a resource as indispensable to our daily lives as the world’s plant species is increasingly exposed to the effects of pests and diseases. In fact, according to data provided by the internationally renowned FAO, up to 40% of food crops worldwide are lost every year due to plant pests and diseases.

Against this backdrop, it is increasingly essential to recognize the key role that plant health plays, and must continue to play in the future, as well as the use of plant protection products in ensuring food supply and food security, promoting the sustainability of agricultural and agri-food systems, protecting the environment and ecosystems, and thereby helping to eradicate hunger, reduce poverty and drive economic development.

For this reason, at AFEPASA, a European and international leader in the production and marketing of sulfur for use in crop protection, suitable for both organic and conventional farming, we have joined the celebration of this International Year of Plant Health. Throughout the year, we will intensify our efforts to raise awareness of the essential role of plant health as an indispensable mechanism for helping to improve our well-being and quality of life.