Fabio Rosa was born in Porto Alegre, Brazil. His father was a manager in a state-owned bank and his mother a primary school teacher who started her career working with German immigrants in Rio Grande do Sul. Fabio studied agronomy at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Porto Alegre. In 1983, he became municipal secretary of agriculture in Palmares do Sul at the young age of 23. According to Fabio, a project only makes sense when it proves useful in making people happier and the environment more respected and when it represents hope for a better future.