As countries ramp up efforts under the global One Health initiative, Agriculture Officer, Michael Delpesche, is highlighting the urgent need to strengthen plant health systems in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

Speaking in a recent interview, Delpesche, who leads the Plant Protection and Quarantine Unit, stressed that safeguarding crops from pests, diseases, and environmental threats is not only essential for food security, but also directly impacts human and animal health.

He warned that overlooking plant health could undermine national and global efforts to combat climate change, prevent pandemics, and protect biodiversity.

"The integration really or the interaction between human health, between animal health and the environment. So plant cells can cut across all of these three areas so that we protect plant cells we are also protecting the environment. If we allow our crops to be destroyed by pests, it means that our human health will be affected and also animal health will be affected, so plant cells in itself is a cross-cutting issue."

SOURCE: National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC Radio)