The Secretariat of the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (http://www.fao.org/plant-treaty/en/) wants to involve you in a video! If you are not yet familiar with the International Plant Treaty, it is an international agreement between Contracting Parties (147 as of now) to manage, in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity, plant genetic resources for food and agriculture for the benefit of people everywhere. The International Treaty covers all plant genetic resources, including 64 of the world’s major food crops, which serve as the “life insurance” for our food production. Take a look at this 2- minute animated movie https://bit.ly/2ZJ4P5M to get a glimpse into the International Treaty.

The FAO is  developing a short video to communicate the critical issue of agrobiodiversity loss from the perspective of youth committed to the conservation of biodiversity. So, we want to hear your voice, views, opinions and tips about stopping biodiversity loss and the importance of seeds for food security! We want to stress the need to act now in order to secure food security for future generations. We want to make a call for action with the voices of young people from all around the world. We would like you to participate by sending us a video of yourself, answering at least 3 of the questions listed below:

• What is the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the word “seed?”
• Why are seeds important?
• How are seeds ensuring our food security?
• Why are seeds a resource?
• What does access to seeds mean to you?
• What does biodiversity mean to you?
• How have farmers been contributing to crop diversity?
• What percentage of local crops do you think have disappeared over the 20th century?
• In your own words, what is “sustainable conservation?”
• What are the consequences of crop diversity loss?
• Could you list 3 things you are doing to help preserve biodiversity around you?
• Do you know what the International Treaty does? If so, do you have a “motto” or “slogan” for us? (i.e. capture the Plant Treaty’s work in a sentence or phrase)

Don’t miss this chance to be featured in the International Treaty’s social media pages (@PlantTreaty)! Here are some basic guidelines on how to record yourself and what to include in your video recording:

1. It is  recommended to answer the questions in English. If possible, try to speak slowly.
2. For those of you whose mother tongue is not English, you are  kindly asked to also record yourself saying “It All Starts With The Seed” in your own language (and please remember to tell us which language it is in your cover email). You can see the video snippet in the Treaty’s Twitter page.
3. Please speak in full sentences, and make sure to use the words from the questions, so we know which question it is. (e.g.: Question: What pops into your mind when you hear the words “seeds?” Complete answer: When I hear the word “seeds,” I think of ..... ) This will help us know exactly which question you are responding to, and will also be helpful in editing the final video.

4. Please try to be concise by responding to each question in 2 or 3 brief sentences.
5. If possible, try to record yourself with a background that represents your geographical location. (It could be just a poster, or an object, or clothes, or food associated with your country/culture.)
6. Dialogue should be clear and comprehensible and easy to hear. – Please record in a quiet room using a good microphone, if possible.
7. Footage should be shot horizontally, if taken with your phone.
8. The video footage should be as stable as possible. It should not contain constant unstable movements and adjustments.
9. Please send your videos to the following email address planttreatyvideo@gmail.com via WeTransfer (https://wetransfer.com)
10. In the email containing your video, please mention the following: 
    1. your name, 
    2. your age, 
    3. your Country/province 
    4. the Country where you work, and
    5. a brief description of what you do (including your organizational affiliation and your professional/job title). 
11. With your video, please include this permission form, duly filled in, or the following declaration, and email it to us at the email address given in point 9 (above):

I hereby give permission to the FAO’s International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture to use my name and video for non-profit use.

Print Name: Date and place:

Deadline:  September 10th 2020.