Toward a new decade of radical transformation

Future Food Institute’s journey to “Future Earth”

With the end of 2023 comes the closing of an important chapter. It has been 10 years since the Future Food Institute was conceived. A decade that has seen us educate hundreds of thousands of people of all ages; it has allowed us to meet innovators, activists, great scientists, and trustworthy “food heroes” and to share pieces of the road with extraordinary people who have contributed their genius and passion to make our journey valuable. We have had the opportunity to make many mistakes and tirelessly continue to believe and experiment. We have surrounded ourselves with “imaginal cells,” sapient: some rebellious, some silent. We promoted critical thinking and innovation by incubating startups and organizing hundreds of hackathons. We have actively participated in primary international debates and mainly worked on the ground with communities, educators, farmers, fishermen, cooks, scientists, communicators, and administrators, listening and starting from needs to co-design solutions and prototype new development models together. Marathons, events, awareness campaigns, world days, conferences and unconferences, boot camps and retreats, global missions, and lately, many moments of silence and deep reflection.

A journey that lasted 10 years and more than a million kilometers ended in December with COP 28 and the Reboot the Future reunion. These two moments made me deeply reflect on what we have experienced and learned and on the necessary transformation we are experiencing.

The world economy and established models are blatantly conflicting with life and the diverse life forms on Earth.

Finally, the word “regeneration” is also entering the everyday lexicon of economics and finance, capturing interest even in institutional contexts that, until a few years ago, were considered “naïve.”

We need to rethink our development model, which cannot be done without an integral ecological approach. An earth ethos made of inextricable interweavings, of radical changes, at the social, political, economic, cultural, human, and environmental levels; an intervention on points that only on the surface seem heterogeneous, but which, instead, are all interconnected, capable for better or worse of contaminating each other.

We have realized that it is a matter of time!

The show-termism that inspires our creativity, directs our strategies and guides our actions dangerously threatens the future of humanity. The pandemic taught us this with a tough blow, and the accelerating climate crisis is also reaffirming it to us without discount. We have had time, if we consider that since April 22, 1970, the first Earth Day that moved more than 22 million people, the whole world has been trying to question the development model. But by now, by continuing to procrastinate, we have found ourselves “caught” in front of the irreparable, and we have continued to make wrong choices. Now, we have no more options: we need courageous and radical decisions.

We have also realized that individual changes are necessary, but they are not enough to address the needed transformation.

The collective consciousness about our supposed right to use the Earth, which has led us to shape even its complex systems in our own image and measure, must change. But to do so, the narrative must also change. Not just new buzzwords, but really new perspectives!

There are signs of hope, but the planet is still battered!

Our “Humana Communitas” is sick, tired, disconnected, and threatened by man-made ignorance.

Wars are exposing the atrocious truth of humanity that, in the shadow of progress, brands in blood the decline of human rights, demonstrating a wickedness that erases all traces of compassion as well as cultural heritages.

Essential rights are still being challenged, and that universally shared feeling of “desire for change” must now not give way to resignation but dare to embrace revolutionary projects!

Those who know me know there is an image very dear to me: that of the caterpillar amid its metamorphosis. Our metamorphosis began a few years ago, and we are still going through it. At the brink of its transformation, the caterpillar perceives that moment as the end of its existence, as the end itself. It ignores that it is going through a period of radical change. We are in this delicate interval. The imaginal cells proceed on their natural course. We find ourselves wrapped in the chrysalis as our old structure decomposes into a primordial substance. Our once inactive imaginal cells are now emerging to form the complex architecture of a butterfly. As in the caterpillar, our immune system mistakes these cells for an enemy, trying to suppress them. Still, they persist, proliferate, and connect, creating new synergies and eventually evolving into a new multi-cellular being: a beautiful butterfly, an entity radically different from the original.

We realized that hope is not enough: we need TRUST.

Trust in those who share the path and the system with us. Very difficult. Trust has to be rebuilt. Because if trust is lacking, the foundations are missing, relationships weaken, and the collective path to a better future comes to a halt.

We are still torn, fragmented, and bent under the weight of an impending rupture necessary to unravel the old structure and give birth to something completely new. Discontinuity. A new architecture, models, and tools are indispensable, for a straightforward new narrative is no longer enough; profound change is required. Only through a process of rebirth, regeneration, and renewal can we aspire to genuine transformation.

To do so, we must be and think differently.

And in this process, four thoughts have fueled our study and experimentation in recent years:

• “Long-term” thinking, which for me today is represented by the “longevity algorithm,” drives the operating system of integral ecological development, which is essential to ensure the ecosystem’s fertility, vitality, and prosperity. Science, applied research, new policy experimentation, and a global, multidisciplinary CoLab to create a replicable and scalable global well-being model.
• The “regenerative” model: from soil to finance, health to economy, urban spaces to marginal areas. A model that requires a systemic and multidimensional approach, where reciprocity and neo-mutualism fuel real value exchanges for a development paradigm hinged on the concept of regeneration.
• Prosperity Thinking: because “human-centered” thinking is no longer enough and has steered us toward wrong models. We need “life-centered,” integral, and inclusive solutions. Because prosperity is either collective or it simply is not.
• A new Paideia: that integral human formation that acts on the fourth dimension of sustainability, ethics, our behaviors through relationships and interactions and that generates culture. How do we think? How do we vote? How do we create our families? Do we do productive things? Do we do enjoyable things? Do we fuel a revolution? Our actions are the most superficial part. Beneath every decision are hidden layers of influences, beliefs, and assumptions. Paideia lies at the deepest level. It is the combination of narrative plots through which we see everything. For it is culture, as a building block, that determines our future and that of others.

We must be and think but also act differently. For it is only through our actions that we will be able to rebuild trust.

Taking action is the necessary condition for completing the process of metamorphosis.

The reconstruction of authenticity — our completed form (exactly like that of butterflies, once caterpillars) — and, therefore, of truth.

As we continue our metamorphosis, these principles guide us. The mantra “Imagine — Believe — Act,” reiterated by Michiel Bakker, remains our guiding light. As somewhat unusual caterpillars, we at the Future Food Institute are tenaciously committed to transforming ourselves and others into butterflies, embracing the necessity of radical changes and revolutionary projects.

Ten years after our inception, knowledge, community, and innovation remain our DNA, yet they are poised to evolve through new forms, geographies, and actions. We invite you to join us in this journey of transformation, to rebuild trust, and to act decisively on the imperative of radical change. Together, let’s step into a future of sustainable, regenerative, and prosperous growth.

Imagine — Believe — Act. The journey of radical transformation continues. As we embark on this continued path of profound change, my wish for our global community in 2024 is for unity in our diversity, courage in our convictions, and unwavering commitment to the sustainable and regenerative growth we all strive for. May this year be a testament to the power of our collective will to create a better world.

The Future Food Institute is an international social enterprise and the cornerstone of the Future Food Ecosystem, a collection of research labs, partnerships, initiatives, platforms, networks, entrepreneurial projects and academic programs, that aims to build a more equitable world through enlightening a world-class breed of innovators, boosting entrepreneurial potential, and improving agri-food expertise and tradition.

As we set our sights on the future, there’s a mission that will steer our efforts in the years ahead: “Reimagining FOOD as the catalyst that fosters FERTILITY, PROSPERITY & LONGEVITY of LIFE on EARTH.” It’s not just about understanding and shaping the future of food, but also harnessing its potential to uplift the very essence of life on our planet. By empowering millions and transforming communities, we are poised to make this vision a reality. Let’s together champion this cause, and, with conscious action and unwavering dedication, realize the change we seek.

Learn more at www.futurefoodinsitute.org, join the conversation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or YouTube. Or attend a program through the FutureFood.Academy!