The Jubilee 2025 "Spes non confundit", centered on the theme of hope, calls for a journey “to encourage and sustain hope as the constant companion that guides our steps towards the goal of our encounter with the Lord Jesus”. To actively embrace the themes of Jubilee 2025 and advance a Journey of Hope, the School of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, in collaboration with FUCE and with the Foundation Gravissimum Educations of the Vatican Dicastery for Culture and Education, is launching an initiative to strengthen collaboration among Catholic universities. This effort aims to address one of the world’s most pressing challenges: the hope to reduce malnutrition, which continues to affect a significant portion of the global population, particularly in low-income countries. The most recent data from FAO reveal that, over the past decade, the number of people suffering from hunger has increased, reaching 9% of the global population. In Africa, the prevalence of undernourishment is particularly severe, exceeding 20%. Research and higher education initiatives aimed at finding solutions to reduce the impact of malnutrition are widespread within academic communities, particularly in Catholic universities, where promoting the common good is a central part of their mission. This new knowledge drives the creation of innovative technological solutions that hold the potential to promote sustainable development by addressing global undernourishment through increased food production, improved availability, and enhanced access. However, much of this information remains confined to high-technology environments—such as research centers, innovative companies, and multinational corporations—widening the knowledge gap between the Global North and South. Moreover, the adoption of new solutions in low-income countries is frequently hindered by social, cultural, financial, and political barriers, which significantly constrain the transfer and local implementation of existing and innovative technologies. Consequently, despite significant efforts and substantial investments over recent decades, progress in reducing malnutrition and foodborne diseases among vulnerable populations remains limited. We are still far from achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger.
As Catholic universities, we strongly believe that equipping younger generations with advanced scientific and technical expertise, combined with a profound ethical vision, to become the future generation of local and global leaders able to address such a grand challenge. This perspective aligns fully with the Catholic Church’s Global Compact on Education, which calls for education to “find new ways of understanding the economy, politics, growth, and progress” and to “safeguard our common home,” as outlined in its commitments
The Scientific Colloquium, titled "The Hope for a Nourished Planet: What Agenda for Catholic Universities?", aims to foster a multi- and transdisciplinary dialogue within the Catholic university community across Europe and Africa. Specifically, the Colloquium is designed with the following key objectives:
- Sharing Knowledge and Experiences: Facilitate the exchange of information on ongoing scientific research and higher education initiatives within European and African Catholic universities that are specifically aimed at addressing food security, safety, and nutrition challenges in local societies.
- Identifying Effective Practices: Highlight and identify best practices that have demonstrated tangible success in building competencies and in technology transfer to reduce the prevalence of undernourishment and malnutrition in vulnerable populations.
- Exploring Trasndisplinarity Impacts: Investigate the role and significance of multi- and transdisciplinary approaches in the design and implementation of projects focused on sustainable development and hunger reduction.
- Implementing the Global Compact on Education: Conduct research in three of the five thematic pillars that form the foundation of Pope Francis' vision for universities: Dignity and Human Rights, Fraternity and Cooperation, and Technology and Integral Ecology.
- Establishing an Alliance: promote an alliance committed to undertaking a three-year collaborative journey to develop and execute joint actions that advance these shared goals.
