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tions who will also live on this planet that hosts us, the planet we are currently trampling, wounding and abusing. This is why we have relaunched the Ark of Taste, through which we invite communities to rediscover their own culinary and agricultural heritage, seeking to preserve a connection with the land that provides us with nourishment.Biodiversity is also the theme developed by Slow Food at Expo 2015 in Milan (and in the pages of this Almanac). The objective is to lift the veil that too often hinders us from fully understanding that the “magic” of the global gastronomic renais- sance of recent years (with the profession of chef besting all others in lists of what children want to do when they grow up) would not be possible without the agricul- tural fabric and the knowledge built up by farmers during millennia of adaptation to specific conditions and resources in different parts of the world.If we continue to impoverish this incredible heritage (so far 75% of plant agro- biodiversity has already been lost, according to FAO data), then no path will be open to us, no route will be able to guide us away from the treacherous shallows of self-destruction. The Presidia, the Ark of Taste, the food gardens in Africa, the Slow Food Chefs’ Alliance and the Earth Markets are all small steps in a different direction, one that is responsible, constructive and durable.7