On World Environment Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi applauded the Save Soil Movement, led by Sadhguru, Founder – of Isha Foundation, at an event in Vigyan Bhawan. The event, which saw the Prime Minister and Sadhguru address an august audience of leaders, politicians, and influencers, was aimed at bringing to fore the grave issue of Soil Extinction and the necessity for policy action to reverse the situation.
The Prime Minister expressed his wholehearted support and encouragement for the Save Soil Movement. Terming the Movement, a huge service to humanity, the Prime Minister acknowledged the painstaking motorcycle journey of Sadhguru. While expressing his confidence that the world, because of this journey, would have developed an affection towards the soil, he also quipped that they would have also witnessed the strength of Indian soil.
Sadhguru also presented the Save Soil Policy Handbook to Prime Minister, post the event. The handbook offers practical, scientific solutions that governments can put into action to revitalize the soil in their country.
The day also marks the 75th day of Sadhguru’s 100-day lone motorcycle Journey for Soil across 27 countries. The movement, to date, has touched 2.5 billion people while 74 countries have agreed to act to save their nations’ soils. Over 15 lakh children in India have written to the Prime Minister as well, requesting him to take action to save the nation’s soil and their collective future.
Sadhguru expressed that for a solution to be realized, all citizens must stand up and support the long-term initiatives required of the government to address this. “Whether we want to ensure food security for the nation, enhance farmers’ income, enhance biodiversity and bring back aliveness into our soil, Save Soil is very important.” He requested the Prime Minister to take dynamic steps in this direction, offering the complete support of Conscious Planet’s Save Soil movement to work with the required ministries and make this happen.
The primary objective of the Save Soil Movement is to urge all nations of the world to mandate a minimum of 3-6% organic content in agricultural soils through urgent policy reforms. Without this minimum organic content, soil scientists have warned of the imminent death of soil, a phenomenon they are terming ‘soil extinction.’
Later today, Sadhguru will be addressing the public at the Indira Gandhi Stadium, amidst performances by artists from across the country to create awareness about Soil Extinction. In India, nearly 30% of fertile soils in the country have already become barren and are incapable of yield.
The United Nations has warned that at current rates of soil degradation, 90% of the earth could turn into a desert by 2050- less than three decades from now. To avert this catastrophe, Sadhguru initiated the Save Soil movement in March this year and traveled across 27 countries meeting leaders, politicians, scientists, and citizens to galvanize support to Save Soil.
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).
