The **Humus Network** comprises ten organic farming collectives across Italy and numerous civic groups dedicated to sharing values and best practices regarding food—connecting everyone from producers to consumers. The network launched its “Coltiviamo Humus” (Let’s Cultivate Humus) campaign in Lamezia Terme, Calabria, at the Sala Sintonia venue of the *Comunità Progetto Sud*.
At the start of the proceedings, **Annamaria Bavaro**, president of the *Le Agricole* Cooperative, noted that the event represents “an opportunity to cultivate—ethically and organically—relationships between social groups that share common goals regarding respect for human dignity and nature.”
Don Giacomo Panizza, Annamaria Bavaro, Maurizio Agostino
**Maurizio Agostino**, the coordinator of the “Coltiviamo Humus” campaign, presented an initiative that has been active in Italy for nearly a decade. He explained that the project “aims to strengthen a community-based organic supply chain—linking producers and consumers—that incorporates environmental, economic, and social sustainability, as well as local development.” “In short,” says Agostino, “the goal of this campaign is to grow the Humus community through everyone’s contribution. We aim to offer businesses technical support and professional guidance aligned with the network’s values, while simultaneously ensuring that all consumers have access to concrete information, education, networking opportunities, and meeting points.”
However, it was Pope Francis’s encyclical *Laudato si’* that served as the framework for the *lectio magistralis* delivered by **Father Giacomo Panizza**. His talk offered the audience themes for reflection on respecting the Earth—viewed both as a “mother” that nourishes us and as a “sister” with whom we share our existence.
Father Giacomo Panizza
“The Earth Precedes Us”—this was the title of the talk. “It serves to remind everyone,” he said, “that secular and religious perspectives on the environment can find common ground. It is humanly reasonable to believe that the Earth must be safeguarded, respected, and increasingly transformed into a ‘common home,’ as written in *Laudato si’*.” It was a call to protect the Blue Planet, for—as he noted—”Earth, polluted and choked with non-biodegradable waste, risks becoming a vast rubbish dump. This poisons the climate, drives global warming, causes the loss of forests and marine food chains, and triggers the migration of animals—and consequently of human populations—phenomena that are unfolding right before our eyes.” And—concluding by offering a sort of summary guide for future reference—he notes: “The earth calls upon people and cultures to exercise vigilance, commitment, education, and spirituality in order to: adopt mindful lifestyles; practice dialogue across differences and forge an alliance between humanity and the environment (one that goes beyond mere concrete, plastic, etc.); embrace a spirit of tenderness toward all creatures; and take care not to neglect the challenging forms of civic and political love, while also cherishing the value of rest.”
The event also provided a perfect opportunity to enjoy a delicious organic aperitif, featuring products from the *Le Agricole* cooperative, prepared and served by **Mìscita**, the catering service launched by the cooperative itself.
