The 2023 Annual Meeting of the Plant Production and Protection Division Organized with a focus on Optimization and Minimization towards Sustainable Plant Production

Rome 17/01/2023. The 2023 annual meeting of The Plant Production and Protection Division (NSP) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) was held in FAO Headquarters on 17 January, with a focus on Optimization and Minimization towards Sustainable Plant Production. The meeting in hybrid modality was attended by over one hundred NSP colleagues, including more than 30 physically present.

FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol opened the meeting, highlighting the many achievements by the division in 2022 and said “I do think 2022 was undoubtedly an extraordinary year for the organization and for this division”. DDG Bechdol underlined the impactful results from the global actions, initiatives and events, such as the One Country One Priority Product, the International Day of Plant Health, the Global Conference on Sustainable Plant Production, amongst others. On the way forwards, she encouraged NSP division to pay a high attention and make a great effort to innovation, partnership and resource mobilization.

NSP Director Jingyuan Xia presented a keynote address, and shared details on the division’s 10 major achievements in 2022, in the areas of global programmes and actions, global activities and events, global governing activities, and production and protection technology as well as technical promotion, normative work, communication and advocacy, and internal management. Some examples were the leading role of NSP in the implementation of Better Production 1 of the FAO Strategic Framework 2022 – 2031; the organizations of three regional workshops on Fall Armyworm in Near East and North Africa, Africa and Asia-Pacific; and the provision of seeds to support Ukraine agricultural production. Director Xia highlighted the five priority areas of NSP for 2023: global programmes and activities, technical integration and extension, governance and normative work, cooperative work and collaboration, and optimization of internal management. He also explained how to achieve sustainable plant production and protection through mainstreaming the Optimization and Minimization.

The group discussed was organized by each team on their core activities for 2023 as well as their major suggestions and recommendations for improvement of the division’s work. Then, all teams reported to plenary about the results of their discussions. All teams agreed that 2022 was an extraordinary year and committed to make 2023 as the year of excellence, following the theme of optimisation and minimisation for sustainable plant production.

Three NSP staff members received the FAO Employee Recognition Award 2022. Additionally, over thirty staff member and two teams received divisional recognition for their outstanding contributions during 2022. The recognized staff and teams representatives shared their positive views on the importance of teamwork as One Dynamic NSP.

Director Xia crowned this day of celebrations thanking everyone for their active participation and valuable contributions to the discussions. He encouraged the division to continue delivering excellent results to reflect the division’s new mission, new mechanisms, new performance, new image and new glory. Collectively, he emphasised, we must think together, work together and progress together.

Related links/More on this topic

FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division (Booklet) https://doi.org/10.4060/cc2447en

FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division (website) www.fao.org/agriculture/plant-production-and-protection/en

Global Action on One Country One Priority Product www.fao.org/one-country-one-priority-product/en

International Plant Protection Convention www.ippc.int/en/