Making The Film

Director's Statement

Over the past eight years my personal interest in documentary projects has revolved around telling science and environment stories. We humans are having a great impact on the natural world but fortunately there are lots of scientists out there trying to find solutions. For me it’s important to tell a story that alerts people to a pending crisis but softens the blow by offering a solution.

In early January 2006 I heard Dr Ken Street on the radio. I was amazed to hear that many of our basic crops are under threat from climate change and that solutions can be found by going back to Mother Nature and the old ancient farmer varieties and wild relatives of our food. But the diverse genes found in these seeds are fast becoming extinct as modern agriculture - and all it promises - takes over much of the world. I was fascinated and jumped on the phone, tracking Ken down on the other side of the world at his home in Syria.

With help from the ATSE Crawford Fund, GRDC, ACIAR, CLIMA and ICARDA I scrounged enough funds to take a crew to film Ken and his seed hunter expedition. It was an amazing 5 week adventure from the deserts of the Middle East to the mountains of Tajikistan. In Tajikistan we camped everywhere and had to wash in freezing mountain streams. It was alot of fun and everywhere we went the Tajiks would give us food, vodka, and share their ancient seeds. They all understood the importance of the work of Ken Street and his team. But adventure aside - it was a shock to see how climate change was having an impact in this remote part of the world. So many farmers were suffering from drought, lack of rain and an influx of new pests and diseases that were destroying their harvests.

Since late 2006, climate change has been on everyone’s lips. The drought has highlighted the plight of farmers struggling to grow food without reliable rain. Events such as Cyclone Larry wiping out Australia’s banana crop and the spring frosts that damaged much of Victoria’s stone fruit harvest and of course the on going drought have exposed the vulnerability of our food production to the general public. This debate will accelerate as food security becomes a global concern.

The importance of genetic diversity to our future food is well understood by all farmers. The Australian Federal Government has generously donated to the Global Crop Diversity Trust that has been established to protect samples of the world’s most vital seeds. The Svalbard Seed Vault – also known as the ‘doomsday vault’ recently opened in the Arctic as a back up to the world’s supply of seeds.

Whilst biotechnology methods are used to locate the genes in most cases the genes are bred into new crop varieties using conventional means. Regulation prohibits the commercial use of any GMO food crops in Australia except for cotton and now canola. As growing food becomes more challenging around the world it will be interesting to see whether the perception of GM crops changes.