b'each country, but there are some com- have more active representation from monalities in each. different parts of the world. The main Slutsky says its important to find outcontribution of this group would be to what the needs are for their stakehold- align and coordinate messaging so that ers, and then put it in the context of plantwe all speak with one voice.breeding. Sayoc says that this group is to sup-Were going to put more detailport ISF members, but also to support around this, but its important forISF members who dont have many stakeholders to put everythingresources to put to communication. in the context of plant breed- We want to provide them tools that ing programs, and how plantwill enable them to take a more proactive breeding works, she says.approach in communicating, she says. As for her advice forSome of these tools are also meant to seed companies whenfoster a better way for the seed industry communicating PBI, sheto work together, according to Sayoc.says its important toWe all realize that our objectives lead with the benefits.in communications are common and Its importantour overarching goals are aligned, she to share our story,says. Being part of the group makes because we have aus feel less isolated in our work. One of great story to share,the primary objectives of the group is to Slutsky says. Plantexchange resources with each other. By breeding has a greatsharing and repurposing existing tools history of safety, andlike videos, infographics and social media genome editing is justcontent, we get the double benefit of one tool in our toolboxbeing consistent in our messaging and that enables us to providealso saving time, effort and money.benefits not only to our valueCurrently, the Global Communication chain stakeholders, but also toNetwork is primarily for member use. consumersLater, we hope to include partner Plant breeders are problem solv- organizations in the mix, knowing full well ers, Slutsky says. Theyre using all theirthat the seed sector is just one part of Francine Sayoc serves as thetools, including gene editing, to solvethe food system, Sayoc says. If we really communications manager of ISF.problems. want to connect the dots, we should work with other organizations and stakeholders Reviving the Globalin the value chain.Communications Network But as for right now, ISF is focusing The EU Court of Justice decision was aISF isnt just working on revving up theiron a more consistent engagement in the big step backwards, and we still dontcommunications in PBI, though. TheyreGlobal Communications Network. know where China is going to fall either. also working on ramping up their com- Aside from the regular teleconfer-Because of that, communication ismunications as a whole, by reviving theences, we aim to meet at least once a more important than ever.Global Communications Network.year during the ISF Meetings, she says. Weve had an ongoing communica- When I joined ISF a year ago, it wasI believe there is nothing better than tion with the International Grain Tradeclear to me that communications wouldseeing each other and having discussions Coalition (IGTC), and weve developedplay a huge supporting role to achievein person to increase understanding and a guidance document with respect toISFs key strategic objectives, sayscollaboration.stakeholder engagement, Slutsky says.Francine Sayoc, communications man- During our first face-to-face meeting Were trying to provide tools for ISFager of ISF. I saw potential in bringingin Porto last February, we had seven rep-members to use when talking about PBI.together the best minds in communica- resentatives from national and regional We have plans to make that guidancetions from the seed sector and harnessingseed associations, and seven from seed document based on what we see aroundefforts to create a better impact. companies, Sayoc says. It was a good the world. In a nutshell, thats what the Globalfirst meeting, with a lot of meaningful For ISF, we want to provide as manyCommunications Network is all about. input from the members and also impor-tools and guidance to our members as weIts a group that existed before Itant questions posed. However, theres can, she says. It wont be a one-size-fits- joined the association, Sayoc says. Ia lot of work to be done. This is just the all, because there are different drivers inwanted it to become more focused andbeginning.SWJUNE 2020SEEDWORLD.COM /75'