Healthy crops are vital for a healthy planet. However, agrifood systems are increasingly challenged by devastating pests and diseases due to climate change, international trade and travel, and weak phytosanitary systems. Recent analyses show that the greatest losses from pests and diseases are associated with food-deficit regions with fast-growing populations. Farming communities, especially in the low- and middle-income countries, continue to struggle against existing and emerging crop pests and diseases. Each year, these threats result in 10 to 40 percent losses in major food crops, and cost the global economy an estimated US$220 billion. In addition, mycotoxins pose serious threat to the health and well-being of the consumers, with negative impacts on multiple sectors (agriculture, human health, and trade).

In 2022, the United Nations designated 12^th May as the International Day of Plant Health to raise global awareness on how protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect biodiversity and the environment, and boost economic development. The International Day of Plant Health is a key legacy of the International Year of Plant Health in 2020.

The CGIAR Plant Health Initiative (PHI), initiated in January 2022, works closely with an array of national, regional, and international partners to bridge knowledge gaps for plant health management, including improved diagnostics and surveillance, and implements integrated pest and disease management, and mycotoxin management in several countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

The PHI team is organizing this webinar to commemorate the 2^nd International Day of Plant Health on 12^th May 2023, wherein stakeholders from diverse organizations will briefly present their views on how best to strengthen the plant health management capacity in the Global South.