Strengthening plant health within One Health: Stakeholders call for greater collaboration

20 March 2025, Rome. At the Nineteenth Session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM-19), scientists, policymakers, researchers, donors and plant health advocates emphasized the need for stronger collaboration to fully integrate plant health into the One Health approach. During the Science Session on “The Importance of Plant Health within One Health”, speakers highlighted the critical role of plant health, underscoring the need for multisectoral collaboration and concerted actions.

One Health is an integrated, unifying approach that recognizes the interconnectedness of public, animal, and ecosystem health. It mobilizes multiple sectors, disciplines, and communities at varying levels of society to address health threats at this nexus, while fostering sustainable development.

Beth Bechdol, Deputy Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and Officer-in-Charge of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) stressed that “Plant health must be fully integrated into One Health because it is a first line of defence in disease prevention”. She commended the IPPC and FAO for advocating for plant health within One Health, such as by creating a CPM Focus Group on Plant Health within One Health, prioritising addressing Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) in plant health, organising high-level sessions such as on the sidelines of the 29th Session of the FAO Committee on Agriculture (COAG-29) and a meeting with the Group of 77 and China.

Bechdol outlined key actions to strengthen the integration of plant health in One Health:

• Scientific research must guide collective actions to integrate plant health in One Health, providing the foundation for effective policies, better prediction and prevention of plant health outbreaks, improved phytosanitary measures and supporting countries to identify emerging threats before they come.
• Increased investments in research, innovation and cross-sectoral knowledge are required to increase global preparedness to address pest threats, enabling better predictive modelling, joint surveillance, and linking plant, human and animal health data systems.
• Stakeholders need to break silos and strengthen collaboration because One Health is a shared responsibility that requires collective action. Integrating surveillance systems, combining research studies and implementing a collaborative approach to training and education programmes are essential.
• The One Health Quadripartite, consisting of FAO, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has a key role in supporting formalizing plant health in One Health strategies.

© FAO/Arete/Patrick Meinhardt

Plant health and One Health are not mutually exclusive

Sunday Ekesi, Director of Research for Development, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe), presented scientific evidence for integrating plant health within One Health, such as the increasing viral zoonotic infections stemming from food sources and spread by animals. This evidence reinforces the need for evidence-based policies for effective decision-making and advocacy to address the lack of coordination in One Health.

Session panellists demonstrated the linkages between human, animal, and ecosystem health and how they contribute to global food security, international trade, and environmental protection. Chadia Wannous, One Health Senior Specialist at WOAH, Thanawat Tiensin, FAO Assistant Director-General, Chief Veterinarian, and Director of the Animal Production and Health Division, Nadja Münstermann, One Health Technical Focal Point for the Global Secretariat of the Quadripartite Collaboration on One Health at UNEP and Cristina Romanelli, a Programme Officer at WHO represented the One Health Quadripartite. They outlined each agency’s priorities for integrating plant health into the One Health approach.

Yurdi Yasmi, Director of FAO’s Plant Production and Protection Division, highlighted FAO and IPPC's work to safeguard plant health and contribute to One Health, through: - standards development; an IPPC survey on antimicrobial and fungicide resistance in plant protection; the IPPC's Pest Outbreak Alert and Response System and FAO's Global Action for Fall Armyworm. “These systems strengthen farmers’ capacity to sustainably manage emerging biotic challenges – such as pests and diseases –, while simultaneously reducing pesticide risks", he said.

Marianela Araya Quesada from the Convention on Biological Diversity, highlighted the crucial role of plant health in One Health, through biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience.

Sarah Cahill, Secretary of the Codex Alimentarius Commission, discussed the “Three Sisters”—Codex Alimentarius, IPPC, and WOAH—as key standard-setting bodies and their role in advancing One Health and safe trade. “You cannot produce safe food without considering the wider environment and animal and plant health”, she said, pointing out their collaboration in managing the “silent pandemic”- AMR. In action: Plant health's role in One Health

Mediterranean fruit fly trapping and surveillance activities in the Dominican Republic ©NPPO

During the session, participants listened to case studies on how One Health is being implemented to address some of the plant health issues.

In only nine months, the Dominican Republic successfully eradicated the Mediterranean fruit fly by piloting a proactive pest surveillance approach involving advanced field monitoring systems, attractant and adhesive traps, geolocation, satellite imaging and risk mapping for early detection and rapid eradication. This approach helped the authorities to minimize pesticide usage, reduced food contamination risks, ensured food security, and protected local production and exports.

Through Integrated Pest Management, Indonesia reduced Cocoa Pod Borer infestations through biological control measures, pruning, and selective pesticide use. This led to higher cocoa bean quality, better market prices, and improved farmer livelihoods while reducing environmental impact.

The Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences International (CABI) piloted joint crop-livestock clinics in Kenya and Uganda, following many of its Plant Clinics (numbering 5000 in 34 countries), increasingly receiving smallholder farmers’ inquiries on livestock health. The clinics started offering farmers comprehensive agricultural extension, adopting a One Health approach. This integrated approach could potentially reduce pesticide risk and mycotoxin contamination, thus protecting our ecosystems.

Italy demonstrated how cross-sector collaboration can enhance the management of plant, human, and animal health risks while improving resource management and reducing environmental impact. To coordinate Popillia japonica control measures, Italy’s public health, veterinary health and phytosanitary agencies developed a joint intervention plan that integrated agronomic practices to limit the spread of Popillia japonica, and insecticide applications for agricultural and public health pest control, and promote public awareness campaigns to engage communities in vector and pest management.

Next steps

In her closing remarks, Sarah Brunel, Lead of the IPPC's Implementation Facilitation Unit, reiterated the IPPC’s commitment to advancing the role of plant health in One Health and urged stakeholders to “strengthen partnerships, leverage scientific innovation, translate these discussions into concrete actions… and break down silos” and collaborate to achieve more resilient agrifood systems.

Related information

Case studies: Science session– The importance of plant health within One Health