In Tamil Nadu’s Hosur, over 10,000 farmers gathered on Saturday to learn about creating sustainable income through tree-based agriculture. The initiative by Isha Outreach’s Cauvery Calling, which is working towards the mammoth task of reviving river Cauvery and has enabled the plantation of over 12.8 crore trees so far, saw the presence of Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Sadhguru, Founder-Isha Foundation and a host of dignitaries.
Addressing the farmers, who had gathered from Tamil Nadu and neighbouring states, Sadhguru pressed for policy corrections to liberate farmers from restrictive controls.
“Farming should be liberated from Government control,” said Sadhguru, calling for the need to clearly differentiate between the produce grown on agricultural land and that grown in forests.
“Whatever the farmer grows on his land should belong to the farmer,” he added, urging the Union Agriculture Minister to remove roadblocks that prevent farmers from selling trees grown on their own land.
He further added that a farmer should not require permission from anyone to cut or sell trees grown on his own land, and it should become a government policy. “The British-era law that claims anything found below eight feet of soil belongs to the government must be amended,” emphasised Sadhguru.
“Farmers should be liberated from all rules. Market rules are the best rules. Let the farmer grow what is best for them, what is most profitable for them, and sell it wherever they want in the world,” he noted.
The agricultural seminar organised by Cauvery Calling was hosted at Adhiyamaan College of Engineering in Hosur, Krishnagiri district, and was attended by Members of Parliament Thambidurai (AIADMK) and Gopinath (INC), MLA Prakash (DMK), Hosur Mayor Sathya, former MLA Manoharan, and several other leaders.
Highlighting unity beyond political affiliations, Sadhguru said that representatives from all political parties were present at the event and noted that if each person committed to planting, the collective goal could be achieved. “The purpose of politics is to serve people. When it comes to the source of our life, we all should not be differently opinionated…Now all of us are in one stage,on the same page, it is very fortunate.”
Sadhguru, who also handed over Save Soil Policy Recommendations to the Union Agriculture Minister, offered his support in setting up a collaborative platform comprising farmers, leading scientists from around the world, UN agencies, and the Ministry of Agriculture, to enable large-scale adoption of tree-based agriculture.
Speaking at the event, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan applauded Sadhguru for launching Cauvery Calling, noting that the movement has the potential to bring transformative change globally. He also lauded the tree-based agriculture model promoted by Cauvery Calling, observing that it is enhancing farmers’ incomes, improving groundwater levels, and contributing to the rejuvenation of the Cauvery river.
“I express my heartfelt gratitude for Sadhguru’s unparalleled contributions. Particularly the Cauvery Calling movement initiated by Sadhguru to rejuvenate the lifeline of South India, the Cauvery River, has today grown into a mass movement,” the Minister said.
Impressed by the impact of Cauvery Calling, the Union Agriculture Minister further invited the team to share its leanings and experiences with the Ministry to aid in the formulation of a national policy on tree-based agriculture.
The seminar also featured participation from agricultural scientists representing five national research institutions and progressive farmers from four states, who shared high-income tree-crop technologies and real-life success stories.
Cauvery Calling regularly conducts these seminars to raise awareness about the success of the agro-forestry model, allowing participating farmers to listen to and interact with successful farmers and experts, encouraging them to adopt the model. Envisioned by Sadhguru, the Cauvery Calling movement aims to revitalize Cauvery River – the lifeline of 8.4 crore people – and significantly improve the economy of farmers by enabling the planting of 242 crore trees on private farmlands. To date, the movement has enabled the plantation of 12.8 crore trees and empowered 250,000 farmers to adopt tree-based agriculture.
