The Seeds of Vandana Shiva

Vandana’s inspiring life story of activism shows how one person can make a real difference:

Her David versus Goliath campaign against a handful of corporations controlling a globalised food system that destroys biodiversity, degrades soil, creates desertification and pumps up to 40% of greenhouse gasses to into the atmosphere in the end offers hope that we can each make a real difference too.

We can mitigate climate change, regenerate the environment, strengthen local communities and feed the world. How? By saving seeds, supporting small farmers and choosing organic and fair-traded food.

The Seeds of Vandana Shiva seeks to inspire viewers to:

Help build awareness about the interconnections between the climate, the environment, social justice, and food.

Petition policymakers to support small-scale, organic and regenerative farmers, food and fibre producers.

With their purchasing power, support small-scale organic farmers and food producers.

Through the telling of one woman’s inspiring life of action our goals are to:

In the immediate term:

-Raise awareness of Dr. Shiva’s life-story and work.

In the medium term:

-Increase understanding and conversation around the ecological/climate/social crisis in farming and food

-Increase community engagement in native seed saving and sharing

-Increase pressure on policymakers to support regenerative small farmers and seed producers

-Support stronger connections and new alliances between organisations - environment/ climate/ social justice/ regenerative and organic farming and food.

And, in the longer term:

-Secure increased global understanding and increased action towards restoring seed biodiversity

-Secure increased global action to transition away from industrial agriculture towards biodiverse, organic, regenerative and locally managed farming and food.

Our impact and outreach strategy centres around a community screening tour of The Seeds of Vandana Shiva that will include speakers and conversation around food and farming systems, seed biodiversity loss, and solutions for change.

By way of strategic outreach with our organisational partners, our initial target audiences include:

-Farmers, food producers, cooks, restaurateurs
-Subscribers to natural health and wellbeing
-People who care about the climate, environment, social justice, indigenous rights, womens' rights
-Schools and universities

Many screening events will be virtual, which will reduce costs and increase both access and reach.

At every event, participants will receive (mostly downloadable) tip-sheets, discussion points, calls for action, and networking opportunities for further outreach and advocacy.

We will collaborate with our partners to promote each screening event through e-mailings and targeted social media campaigns.

During production, Navdanya and Regeneration International supported us with some in-kind travel and accommodation. We also received financial support from Patagonia and Organic Valley.

Our Advisory Board includes the International Director of Regeneration International, the former director of I-FOAM Organics International, the former International Director of the Center for Food Safety, the Editor of Resurgence and Ecologist Magazine, and the Director of Movements for Ecological Learning and Community Action.

Our Advisory Board has provided us with resources for research and three of our Advisory Board members appear in The Seeds of Vandana Shiva but other than that, the filmmakers have produced, directed and had final cut of the film.

Our organisational partners will continue to support the project during outreach and distribution, primarily through their communication platforms and by co-producing and providing expert speakers at community screening events.

As far as it is possible for you, buy locally produced, organic, regenerative, and fair-traded food.

Become part of the regenerative food movement. There are already many great organizations already working in the trenches that you can join and support.

Know that whatever your interests and aptitudes—you can be a farmer, a food producer, a scientist, an artist, a parent, a teacher, a policymaker—there is a way for you to make a difference. Everyone can find a role to play in the ecological food web.

Find out from your elected officials where they stand on food, farming, the environment, and climate change. What policies exist in your locality that could be challenged and changed toward a more regenerative future of food?

Our initial metrics already include promotional reel play numbers (to date over 30K), website visits, social media engagement (high) and newsletter open rates (also high). These serve as predictors of interest in the forthcoming film.

On release we’ll track attendance at community screenings, conferences, and educational institutions; also trailer views, newsletter sign-up rates, social media engagement, website visits, media reports and reviews, influencer shout-outs, and digital downloads. With our primary organisational partners, we’ll also track metrics to do with the film.

We will solicit feedback through audience surveys and track outcomes of specific outreach campaigns (for example, Patagonia’s Seed Savers Teach-In Tour). We will personally engage with audiences whenever we can, collecting stories for newsletters, social media, and future outreach initiatives.