Seed is life, as the International Seed Federation says so succinctly.
And the seed which was planted in a meeting between ISF and IFAJ in 2022 has now grown into a strong partnership: an annual IFAJ presence at the annual World Seed Congress, giving members from around the world the opportunity to seek out and report on real-world seed issues.
This year, with the Congress hosted by Türkiye, 11 IFAJ members from four continents spent three days in Istanbul, with access to all panels and keynotes, plus the opportunity to meet with and put questions to a range of seed and breeding experts, including the renowned Dr Cary Fowler, whose vision and energy are behind the Svalbard Seed Bank.
‘Practice’ followed ‘theory’, as the group, led by IFAJ Secretary Adrian Bell, then flew to Antalya – the country’s agricultural heartland and home to more than 30% of Türkiye’s protected vegetable production – for a media tour supported by IFAJ’s Global Network Partner, Syngenta.
Tour participants were:
At the Congress in Istanbul, Secretary General Adrian Bell was invited to take part in the ISF’s ‘Channel World Seed’, a series of live-streamed discussions on a range of topics pertinent to seed and plant breeding.
Moderated by Airah Cadogan, ISF Communications Manager, the panel ‘Battling Misinformation and Fake News About Seeds’ examined how misinformation and disinformation in food and agriculture—particularly around seeds—are spreading faster and more deeply than ever before, undermining trust in science, stalling innovation, and endangering food security.
Watch the recorded livestream below (starts at 14:27).
Alongside Claire Taylor, Founder, Agvocacy Consulting, and Javier López, podcaster and NGIN Youth Ambassador, Adrian explained how seed companies, journalists, ag-vocates, and youth in agriculture can fight back to foster credible, science-based dialogue and what else should be done to combat increased digital distortion.
