Back to the Roots to Move Forward
By Sara Roversi — August 27 2025
5 MIN READ
This article is featured in the Magazine “Exploring Origin – The Importance of Knowing Where Food Comes From”, created in collaboration with Global Retail Brands. You can find more insights about the Magazine and additional articles here.
An alarming outlook
According to Copernicus’ analysis, March 2024 was the tenth consecutive warmest month ever recorded. The future outlook is even more alarming: the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) warns that there is a 98% chance that one of the next five years will be the warmest on record and estimates a 66% probability that temperatures could temporarily exceed the +1.5°C threshold above pre-industrial levels.
This scenario is significantly worsened by activities related to agriculture, forestry, and other land uses (AFOLU), which account for 22% of global greenhouse gas emissions, along with the energy, industry, transport, and building sectors, which contribute 79%. All these sectors are interconnected within the global food system—from production to transport, from processing to consumption. Yet, a tragic paradox emerges. As highlighted by the UN, the global population is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, further increasing to 9.7 billion by 2050 and 10.4 billion by 2100. This progressive demographic growth will lead to a mounting pressure on our planet’s already limited resources—a situation that, as attested by the FAO, will require increasingly careful and sustainable management.
Changing the paradigm
It is clear that the foundation on which the global food system has relied so far has proven inadequate. Adopting a new approach is now more imperative than ever, and this essential change requires innovation. But what kind of innovation? Does innovation necessarily translate into artificial food production? Possibly. Or does it mean incorporating insects or novel foods into our diet? It could be. However, perhaps not, because there likely is another solution right under our feet. If we truly aim to create a paradigm shift, we must start from the roots. If our real goal is to act concretely and produce tangible results for the well-being of our planet, we must not only ask what we eat but also where it comes from. Not just what we will eat but how we will produce it. This continues to make a difference because the food we bring to our tables is the result of a process that starts from a root, and it is from the roots that we must return to begin anew.
Origins and sustainable production
Food is never just food; it encompasses everything that precedes it: the soil where it was grown, the hands that cultivated and harvested it; the water that irrigated it, the air surrounding it, and the processes and methods that brought it into our kitchens. Knowing the origin of our food means understanding its impact on our health; it means understanding what kind of production methods I support and whether I am benefiting or harming my planet. It means embracing the values that each food carries with it and becoming its indirect ambassador and guardian.
We must demand to recognize the origin of our food not only through a label but through its flavors. This (it is becoming increasingly clear) is only possible when the foods result from sustainable production methods, such as those of regenerative agriculture, which respect the rhythm of the seasons, the cycle of nature, and human timings. A system that not only contributes to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by up to 50%—thanks to minimal soil tillage, permanent cover, and crop diversification—but also offers foods of superior quality. Foods that delight the palate, properly nourish our body, and support the community inherently linked to them. Returning to the roots in how we produce, and mentally, reflecting on how that food is produced, represents an act of excellent food awareness and a recovery of our historical and cultural heritage. It is a matter of safety, quality, and transparency, but it is also an exploration of the traditions at our lifestyle’s foundation.
The power of individual and collective action
Clearly, our focus should not be on implementing short-term strategies, but rather on promoting and adopting lifestyles or management models based on food with regenerative potential for the individual and for the planet—starting from each purchase, from each question of “where does this product come from”. Each of us has the power to make a difference, and it starts with the choices we make every day. We need to go back to the roots to move forward. This does not mean going back to the past, but going back to take a run-up, adapting yesterday’s values to today’s and tomorrow’s needs.
It is essential that every entity, particularly large organizations, re-establish a direct connection with those who produce our food. Only through this connection can we truly value and convey to the consumer the essence of what we consume, promoting and spreading agricultural practices that respect and maintain the natural balance. It is imperative to create the conditions for a vital and sustainable ecosystem essential for the survival of the life chain, which includes our food resources and the health of our environment. The soil represents an element and the crucial foundation from which all forms of regeneration and prosperity emerge. Roots, deeply anchored in the earth, not only support trees but also offer the possibility of generating fruits that, transplanted elsewhere, can give life to new shrubs and forests. This is the true spirit of food production envisioned for the future, which questions how much food has been produced and how and where it comes from, thus perpetuating a virtuous cycle of growth and regeneration.
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