In this article « For an agriculture that regenerates both soil and the economy » (SDA Bocconi Insight, December 2025), I reflect on the biblical reminder from Genesis that humans are dust and must cultivate the soil, emphasizing our deep connection to the earth as a provider of food, materials, regulation, and renewal—yet one we’ve disrupted through overuse.

I argue that intensive farming’s soil depletion, pesticide excess, and pollinator decline threaten economic value chains, making preservation essential for ecological, health, and business reasons. Drawing on the SDA Bocconi study 2050Now Lamaison (with French companies), I advocate a regenerative model where everything is connected and nothing lost, based on reduce, reuse, recycle, and regenerate.

Highlighting examples like LVMH’s practices for high-quality grapes, cotton, leather, and perfumes—restoring soil health, biodiversity, water cycles, and socio-economic stability—and preferences for « agroecology » with reduced inputs and biodiversity integration, I extend regeneration to forestry (e.g., avoiding clear-cutting) and oceans (ending overfishing).

These common-sense approaches, modernized with technology, recognize our fragility and duty to future generations for true sustainability.