Plant Health, Climate Change and Trade - TradeMark Southern Africa

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1. Statement of the issue
Determining adaptive strategies for the Tripartite Region (COMESA, EAC and SADC Free
Trade Area) to respond to the impact of Climate Change on the resilience of plant pests and
diseases that affect African agri-business and the likely necessity for increased
phytosanitary standards and capacities to combat the spread of new phytosanitary risks.
2. Introduction
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) states that substantial changes in
average temperatures and rainfall will take place as a result of changing and intensifying
human activities and consumption pattern and will increase the frequency and magnitude of
extreme weather events. Research on the effects of climate change on agriculture have
mostly focused on the how abiotic factors such as temperature, humidity and Co2 levels will
affect crop production but the effects of climate change on biotic factors such as weeds, pest
and diseases have not received much attention.
Climate change is however, already impacting on phytosanitary systems as recent studies
by the World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, the
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and others indicate. It is
expected that the impact of climate change on the capacity of phytosanitary systems will
increase in future.
Research studies have been undertaken to determine the effect of climate change on the
prevalence and dispersion potential of pests and diseases, the increase of new disease
outbreaks and the development of adaptive plant health strategies to control risks associated
with trans-boundary pests and diseases in developing countries. Studies indicate that the
effect of climate change on phytosanitary risks are likely to be greater in the tropics and in
areas of significant water stress in Africa. The question to pursue is not whether climate
change will result in new phytosanitary risks but rather what the type, scale and tempo of the
changes in phytosanitary risk will be and how they will subsequently impact on food security
and agricultural trade.
Globalization, population growth, ecosystem diversity and resilience, pollution, land and
water use, atmospheric composition, host-pest interactions and changing agricultural trade
patterns are all interdependent and interact with climate change as contributing factors to
increase and change the occurrence of plant pests and diseases that may negatively affect
crop production, market access and maintenance. National phytosanitary systems are
therefore continuously challenged to manage the complex and changing phytosanitary risks
associated with crop production and trade.
Various policies and institutions exist that manage phytosanitary problems around the world.
Most policies are developed and implemented at national level and are based on
international standards and regulations. The International Plant Protection Convention
(IPPC) is acknowledged by the World Trade Organisation's Agreement on the Application of
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (WTO SPS Agreement) as the international standard
setting organisation plant health. The quality of national SPS policies and the capacity of
COP 17 -­‐ Trademark Climate change impact on phytosanitary risks