Of the over 30,000 edible plants in the world, humans use about 120 on a regular basis. The majority of humanity subsists on only 10 of these plants as dietary staples. Due to this lack of variety, 94% of the world’s seed diversity has disappeared in the last century. In a new documentary from Independent Lens, farmers, scientists, lawyers, and indigenous seed keepers are on a mission to defend the future of food. Botanical explorer Joseph Simcox has been to over 100 countries, collecting thousands of seeds. In this documentary from Independent Lens, he travels to the Peruvian Amazon. “My seeds are my kitchen table,” says Simcox. “My seeds are my way of sharing food with people all over the world.”

This film is an excerpt from the feature-length documentary SEED: The Untold Story, which explores the hidden fabric of our food and the people that curate its diversity. SEED was produced, directed and edited by Taggart Siegel and Jon Betz of Collective Eye Films. The film will be streaming for free on the PBS website until May 1, 2017.