Nowadays, food production is no longer confined to fields and countryside, tied only to ancestral methods, but has entered cities, laboratories and buildings, integrating with advanced technologies and innovative social practices, attempting to provide different answers to the same need: to produce sufficient and safe food for a growing world population, while reducing environmental impact. Urban agriculture is reshaping public spaces in cities, transforming rooftop gardens, greenhouses and community gardens into hybrid production sites that are integrated into neighbourhoods. In addition to community practices, automated multi-level cultivation systems – vertical farming – are being implemented, using innovative substrates and nutrients. In agricultural and livestock production, the use of sensors, drones and robots optimises time, reduces waste and lightens the physical stress on operators.

Food distribution envelops the planet in dense networks which connect and eliminate distances, while within contemporary cities, archetypal places and spaces, which have always been dedicated to the supply of food, have taken on new forms and hybrid uses.Definition of rules for managing the food cycle are the focus of policies and practices that are constantly orientated towards sustainability and inclusiveness. The challenge of combating food waste involves institutions and associations working towards the fundamental right of access to fairer and more equitable food.

Eating food is not only a biological act necessary for survival, but has always been a ritual and deeply social moment. The act of eating is inherent in a cultural dimension that goes beyond simple nutrition, taking on symbolic, relational and community meanings. The places dedicated to these shared moments consequently assume a central role. Canteens, domestic and collective kitchens not only provide meals but also produce relationships: preparing and consuming food together means breaking down barriers, renegotiating differences and strengthening the sense of belonging. In contrast, the fast-paced relational dynamics in the contemporary city, pushing towards social customs marked by strong individualism, lead to an increasingly domestic dimension of food consumption, prepared in hidden and unexpected spaces.

The food supply chain inevitably generates leftovers, waste and residues. Looking at these materials only as discarded waste means neglecting their biological, energy and social potential: thanks to scientific processes and innovative technologies, these scraps are transformed and returned to new life. The issue of food waste reuse, integrating additional consumption cycles in cross-sectoral areas of society (from agriculture to construction, from design to cosmetics, from biomaterials to medicine and energy), is a key issue for environmental sustainability and the circular economy. Ultimately, what we now call “waste” can become a valuable resource, capable of feeding not only the planet, but also a new vision of responsibility and solidarity.