b'International Year of Plant Health / HungerStarting with SeedsThe smallest input leads to big change.Melissa ShipmanSEEDS ARE THEstart and the firstfor trade losses in agricultural products step in a solution for global hunger.exceeding $220 billion every year. What 2020 was designated as theis more, once established in a new area, International Year of Plant Health, whichplant pests are often impossible to eradi-was a key step in shining a light on thecate, Deng adds.importance of plant health, includingDeng reports that pests are not only good seed.appearing earlier in the season, but raising It finally brought into light howtemperatures are creating new pathways protecting plant health can help achievefor pests to thrive and spread. food security and solve other global chal- Climate change influences the move-lenges, says Arop Deng, integration andment of pests and threatens both the support leader at the International Plantquality and quantity of crops. Balancing Protection Convention (IPPC), hosted bythe impact of climate change, pest occur- Arop Deng serves as integration and the Food and Agriculture Organization ofrences and food production is an incred- support leader at the IPPC. the United Nations (FAO). ible emerging global challenge for the One of the goals mapped out from thescientific community, Deng says.United Nations Sustainable DevelopmentAlong with research partners and Goals, is No. 2: End hunger, achieve foodother organizations, seed companies security and improve nutrition and pro- contribute to plant health from the very mote sustainable agriculture. Its an ambi- beginning. tious goal, with many barriers, but smallThey provide healthy seeds that are seeds are a big part of the solution.routinely tested to prevent or control Seed companies and their partnersplant pests that may affect seed qual-are at the core of this innovation in theity, seed movement, and their introduc-effort to feed the world by 2050, whention into new territories, confirms Mirko the worlds population is anticipated toMontuori, International Year of Plant increase by more than 35%, and cropHealth project officer for FAO.production will need to double. Klaus Kunz is head of Sustainability and In addition to germplasm advancesBusiness Across Borders Business Stewardship at Bayer. and seed-applied treatments, seed com- Bert Van Der Feltz, global CEO of East-panies are now providing new digital solu- West Seed, says seed health is a crucial tions that help farmers make data-drivenfocus because the seed is traded inter-decisions. Specific breeding goals havenationally across many countries, from also changed. production to sales and distribution. Only maximizing yield above all elseIt can be a pathway for certain plant is simply no longer a viable strategy, sayspests and diseases, so seeds introduced Klaus Kunz, head of Sustainability andto a country must be healthy, Van Der Business Stewardship, Crop Science divi- Feltz says.sion of Bayer.International Standards for Phytosanitary Measures (ISPMs) are one Protecting From Pests tool in the toolbox to fight against pest According to Deng, plant pests and dis- concerns. These standards are adopted eases are a huge concern.by the Commission on PhytosanitaryMirko Montuori serves as the International They are responsible for losses of 20Measures (CPM), which is the governingYear of Plant Health project officer for FAO.to 40% of global food production, andbody of the International Plant Protection 68/ SEEDWORLD.COMOCTOBER 2020'