Jos Raaijmakers pioneered international plant microbiome research by identifying microbial consortia and molecular mechanisms involved in natural disease-suppressive soils. He initiated the Back-To-Roots program involving several (inter)national research institutes to elucidate how plant microbiomes evolved during domestication and if/how this impacted their protective effects against (a)biotic stresses. His work on rewilding plant microbiomes provides a fundamental basis to design new strategies that maximize the beneficial effects of microbiomes on crop productivity and food quality.