Youth engagement in plant health highlighted during Czech students’ visit to IPPC Secretariat

Rome, 17 September 2024. Technological and trade advancements have simplified the cross-border movement of goods and people but increased plant pest risks, worsened by climate change. To protect plant resources, developing and implementing plant health standards is crucial. Young people play a vital role in this effort, as their involvement can drive innovation and contribute to sustaining food security, protecting biodiversity, supporting an increase in farmers’ incomes, and encouraging international trade. Investing in their education and exposure to plant health issues can contribute to creating a global network of plant health experts and champions. This was emphasized by Arop Deng, Officer in Charge at the IPPC Secretariat during a visit of Czech phytosanitary and agriculture students and teachers at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the IPPC Secretariat.

The students were winners of the Czech Plant Medicine - Field of the Future 2024 competition. They were all plant health and environment enthusiasts involved in enterprises such as pumpkin growing, floriculture and winemaking.

The visit was organized by the Czechia Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Crop Life Czech Republic to promote plant health as a diverse and rewarding career path for young people. They were exposed to the broad work of FAO and the IPPC and involved in discussions on how they can contribute to the global food security and plant health discourse and work.

Deng gave an overview of the IPPC, its history, its vital importance as the only global plant health standards-setting body, and the urgency of protecting plants from invasive pests.

“We wanted to show them the kind of work they can do in the field of agriculture, how international organizations work, the importance of international cooperation, and why they need to be involved in global discussions on critical issues”, said Roman Diatka, Czechia’s Permanent Representative to FAO.

Empowering young people to advocate for plant health and sustainable agriculture

The Czech Plant Medicine Society has organized the Czech Plant Medicine - Field of the Future 2024 competition for the past eight years, supported by the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic and Crop Life in Czechia. The competition aims to raise awareness about the importance of agriculture, plant health, and crop protection among young people in Czechia.

For many years, CropLife has supported a range of children’s activities in plant medicine and plant health and helped to translate the International Year of Plant Health 2020 Activity book into Czech.

The International Labour Organization (ILO)’s Global Employment Trends for Youth 2022 report highlights that many young people recognize the importance of transitioning to a green economy and green jobs due to climatic and environmental changes. However, understanding of these issues is often limited and inconsistent across countries. Additionally, from 2010 to 2019, most employed youth shifted from agriculture and construction to market and non-market services.

“These are young plant doctors and organizing this visit was important to motivate them to continue pursuing agriculture and phytosanitary studies. I strongly encourage young Czechians to become more involved in competitions and programmes on plant health so they can help create awareness about the various ways of preventing pest spread, including developing digital plant protection tools and reducing pest spread through online trade”, said Miluše Dvorzakova from CropLife Czech Republic.

"The visit broadened my horizons. We must constantly remind ourselves that agriculture and organizations, such as FAO and the IPPC are a necessary part of human life... without them, there would be no crops, no products from crops, and thus no healthy and safe food“, said Vladimir Novotny, a student.