Jaipur: Rajasthan became the second Indian state to sign an MoU to save soil by halting and reversing desertification of fertile lands in the state. At a public Save Soil event in Jaipur today, attended by Shri. Rajesh Chand Meena, Panchayati Raj & Rural Development Minister, Shri. Lalchand Katariya, Agriculture Minister, and Sadhguru, Founder-Isha Foundation, called for urgent policy-driven action to protect the state’s and country’s agricultural lands from becoming barren.
“Everything we see in Nature, comes from soil and will go back to soil,” the Minister for Panchayati Raj & Rural Development said in his address. “This Movement is not Sadhguru’s personal Movement, it is for the benefit of common man,” he added urging the audience, especially the youth to commit to environmentally sustainable actions to regenerate the soil.
Shri Lalchand Kataria, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Fisheries, Government of Rajasthan said the movement led by Sadhguru to spread the message of Save Soil in coming times will be followed by the future generations who will take the movement further ahead. He expressed his confidence that the movement will surely create results in increasing the fertility of the soil.
“In the last 25 years, 10% of the planet’s geography has turned into a desert,” said Sadhguru referring to the rapid global degradation of soil. Terming the topsoil “the cream of the planet,” Sadhguru said that in this culture soil has always been revered as “our mother because this is the mother of all our mothers.” Stressing that green litter and animal waste are the only sources of organic content in soil, Sadhguru said that in a country with over 60% of the population in agriculture, bovine animals and plant life must be a part of the landscape. “In the next 10-15 years, if these animals disappear, you are closing the chapter of Bharat in many ways,” he added.
Sadhguru urged the audience to express their concern for future generations to enable governments to focus on long-term wellbeing of the state and the country. “Where is the people’s mandate?” he asked. “People should raise their voice and give that comfort to the government that if you do long-term things, we are with you.”
The Agriculture Minister and Sadhguru exchanged the signed MoUs committing to save the state’s soils by formulating farmer and soil-friendly agricultural policies.
Thousands of people thronged the Jaipur Exhibition and Convention Center (JECC) for a trademark celebratory event with music and dance performances by celebrated folk artists Ila Arun, Kutle Khan and Isha’s homegrown troupes, Sounds of Isha and Isha Samskriti.
Sadhguru, who is currently on a 100-day, 30,000 km lone motorcycle journey across Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East to build global consensus to address soil health, reached Indian shores on 29th May when he arrived in the west coast port city of Jamnagar in Gujarat. Gujarat became the first Indian state to sign an MoU to Save Soil in the state.
In India, the average organic content in agricultural soils is estimated to be 0.68% placing the country at high risk for desertification and soil extinction. Nearly 30% of fertile soils in the country have already become barren and are incapable of yield.
About Save Soil Movement
Sadhguru launched the global Movement to Save Soil in the wake of alarming soil degradation that threatens desertification of 90% of the earth’s agricultural soils by 2050, less than three decades from now. The primary objective of the Movement is to urge all nations to mandate a minimum of 3-6% organic content in agricultural soils. Without this minimum organic content, soil scientists have warned of the imminent death of fertile soils worldwide. The Movement is proposing a policy-driven mandate supported by government incentives for farmers to raise organic content on farmlands. To achieve its objective, the Movement will aim to reach 3.5 billion people across the world - 60% of the world’s electorate - to explicitly express their support for the Movement, enabling elected governments to formulate soil-friendly policies.
Soil extinction could lead to unprecedented ecological, economic and social catastrophes worldwide. This includes intensifying climate change, global food and water shortages, brutal civil strife and migratory exodus across continents threatening the security and cultural fabric of every nation.
The Save Soil Movement is supported by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN World Food Programme, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Since Sadhguru began his journey in London on 21st March, 74 nations around the world have pledged concrete action to save soil in their countries.
Website: savesoil.org
