b'Were going to put more detailSayoc says that this group is to sup-around this, but its important for stake- port ISF members, but also to support holders to put everything in the contextISF members who dont have many of plant breeding programs, and howresources to put to communication. plant breeding works, she says.We want to provide them tools that As for her advice for seed com- will enable them to take a more proactive panies when communicating PBI,approach in communicating, she says. she says its important to leadSome of these tools are also meant to with the benefits.foster a better way for the seed industry Its important to shareto work together, according to Sayoc.our story, because we haveWe all realize that our objectives a great story to share,in communications are common and Slutsky says. Plantour overarching goals are aligned, she breeding has a greatsays. Being part of the group makes history of safety, andus feel less isolated in our work. One of genome editing is justthe primary objectives of the group is to one tool in our tool- exchange resources with each other. By box that enables us tosharing and repurposing existing tools provide benefits notlike videos, infographics and social media only to our value chaincontent, we get the double benefit of stakeholders, but also tobeing consistent in our messaging and consumersalso saving time, effort and money.Plant breeders areCurrently, the Global Communication problem solvers, SlutskyNetwork is primarily for member use. says. Theyre using all theirLater, we hope to include partner tools, including gene editing,organizations in the mix, knowing full well to solve problems. that the seed sector is just one part of the food system, Sayoc says. If we really Reviving the Globalwant to connect the dots, we should work Communications Network with other organizations and stakeholders ISF isnt just working on revving up theirin the value chain.Francine Sayoc serves as thecommunications in PBI, though. TheyreBut as for right now, ISF is focusing communications manager of ISF.also working on ramping up their com- on a more consistent engagement in the munications as a whole, by reviving theGlobal Communications Network. Global Communications Network.Aside from the regular teleconfer-When I joined ISF a year ago, it wasences, we aim to meet at least once a clear to me that communications wouldyear during the ISF Meetings, she says. a guidance document with respect toplay a huge supporting role to achieveI believe there is nothing better than stakeholder engagement, Slutsky says.ISFs key strategic objectives, saysseeing each other and having discussions Were trying to provide tools for ISFFrancine Sayoc, communications man- in person to increase understanding and members to use when talking about PBI.ager of ISF. I saw potential in bringingcollaboration.We have plans to make that guidancetogether the best minds in communica- During our first face-to-face meeting document based on what we see aroundtions from the seed sector and harnessingin Porto last February, we had seven rep-the world. efforts to create a better impact. resentatives from national and regional For ISF, we want to provide as manyIn a nutshell, thats what the Globalseed associations, and seven from seed tools and guidance to our members as weCommunications Network is all about. companies, Sayoc says. It was a good can, she says. It wont be a one-size-fits- Its a group that existed before Ifirst meeting, with a lot of meaningful all, because there are different drivers injoined the association, Sayoc says. Iinput from the members and also impor-each country, but there are some com- wanted it to become more focused andtant questions posed. However, theres monalities in each. have more active representation froma lot of work to be done. This is just the Slutsky says its important to find outdifferent parts of the world. The mainbeginning.SWwhat the needs are for their stakehold- contribution of this group would be to ers, and then put it in the context of plantalign and coordinate messaging so that breeding. we all speak with one voice.INTERNATIONAL EDITION 2020SEEDWORLD.COM /29'