b'SWE: THE SEED SECTOR IS STRUGGLING WITH NGO PUSH- sector want to achieve? Does it want to be famous for hairy-chested BACK ON VARIOUS TOPICS, SUCH AS GMOS, CROP PRO- leaders pounding away at the opposition and inching forward on TECTION PRODUCTS, PATENTS, NEW GENOMIC TECHNIQUESinnovation? Or does it want to find a better, less stressful, more AND OTHERS. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE THE SEEDproductive way of working? Sit down and speak with those who SECTOR ABOUT HOW BEST TO HANDLE THESE CONFLICTS? hate you. See where that goes. But do it in a way that shows youre SP: Its a tough one for the seed sector because theyve spent dec- open to what the other has to say. I dont doubt such conversations ades fighting such accusations. This stems from a strong convictionhave happened in the pastperhaps they need a mediator to help of being right. Such a conviction closes you to others perceptionsmove the process forward.and contrary ideas. It pits the industry against those who disagree with it and when this happens, we end up with one long, protractedSWE: WE HAVE SEEN A LOT OF FARMER PROTESTS LATELY IN battle where each side throws rockets at each other. Battles createMANY EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, PUSHING BACK ON SEVERAL wastelands and lots of collateral damage. Theyre also super expen- OF THE PROPOSED EU REGULATIONS. WHAT IS YOUR ADVICE sive and draining.TO BOTH SIDES ON HOW TO MOVE TOWARDS A RESOLU-My work has been to bring protagonists into a middle ground,TION ON THE CONFLICTS?a no mans land, where they lay down their weapons, open theirSP: As above, people have to speak together. Its as simple and minds and hearts and speak their truth to each other. Its not anas difficult as that. Speak, listen, learn. Do so with an open mind easy process to start, but assuming youre 100% right and the otherand open heart. Moving forward on anything requires cooperation is 100% wrong is not how life works. Our protracted battles in thisand compromise. We cant find the path to the grand transforma-and other sectors means we get nowhere.tions we need unless we pass through a sense of feeling lost. Only My advice to the seed sector would be to open itself to thethen can cooperation emerge. We feel lost when everything weve input of others. To listen when its told its doing wrong things.tried falls short, when were still stuck, where nothing is getting To take that on board. To wonder if there could be merit in thebetter. We must first find our way to lostness before we find a path accusations. To explore what might be done differently. Sometimes,to cooperation. Perhaps all these protests are evidence that were establishing a backchannel communication where important commsalmost there. In early 2022, I published a workbook called Getting can take place, on the quiet, away from the public glare, without anyto Cooperation which tries to summarise all my lifes experiences announcements, can greatly help get things moving. For that, bothhelping people travel the arc of change from disruption, panic, anger sides need to be ready to speak and unfortunately, thats not alwaysand despair, through feeling lost, to calm, cooperation, change and the case, often because there has been so much foul water passedgrand transformations of entire industries. under the bridge that forgiveness and the laying down of weapons simply isnt possible. Humans can only move beyond conflict when they do sit down and speak together. Until that happens, the seed sector, like others before it, will be mired in conflict, which will stifle innovation and development, drain budgets and make everyone weary. The impor- Link to the book Getting to Cooperation: shorturl.at/Wfsuqtant work of feeding the world will suffer. So, what does the seedTo find out more about Scott Poynton: scottpoynton.meThe Great Fog of the Unknown describes the arc that Poynton has travelled with others on many change journeys. Not all journeys follow exactly these steps, each one has its own characteristics, and each partner brings their own emotions, Poynton says.SEEDWORLD.COM/EUROPEISEED WORLD EUROPE I 35'