‘If we progress towards soil extinction, most of us will perish. Civilizations will crumble if there are food shortages. Our humanity would vanish in a matter of days,’ Sadhguru said during a Save Soil event in Nashik co-hosted by Deshdoot and Maratha Vidya Prasarak Samaj. Sadhguru, who is now on the Indian leg of his Save Soil adventure, landed in Nashik to complete the first 25,000 kilometers of his 100-day, 30,000-kilometer Save Soil motorcycling expedition.
Smt Nilimatai Vasantrao Pawar, Secretary-General of K.T.H.M. College, and Shri Janak Sarda, Managing Director of Deshdoot, greeted Sadhguru and presented him with a traditional Pagdi. Smt Nilimatai Vasantrao Pawar bestowed upon him a Paithani Shela, a traditional Maharashtrian silk shawl, and the Nashik Pancha Tatva. Sadhguru emphasized that the topsoil, or the first 15-18 inches of soil, is the ‘cream of the earth,’ containing ‘zillions of living forms.’
Sadhguru indicated that it takes 600-800 years to build one inch of soil without a human footprint and that with present levels of human activity, it would take 13,000 years to generate one inch of top soil. Today, we stand on the verge of history, because as a ‘generation, we have this capacity that in the next 10-15 years’ time, we may make a dramatic turnaround,’ Sadhguru stated, warning that the loss of bio-diversity will make soil renewal impossible in 25-40 years’ time.
In democratic nations, governments obey the mandate of the people, and he asked the people to raise their voices and keep them up until the necessary policies to revitalise the soil are implemented in the state and country. ‘ We all recognise the quality of soil is deteriorating,’ stated Shri Janak Sarda, Managing Director of Deshdoot.’ Every day, our farmers face it. Not only farmers are affected, but we as consumers are as well, in terms of food quality and quantity… Deshdoot sees this programme as a starting point for action, as you have said’.
The evening featured a slew of diverse cultural acts, including Pandit Aviraj Tayade and his team, a renowned’ vocalist. Radhe Jaggi, a Bharatnatyam dancer, and Isha Samskriti combined classical music, dance, and Kalaripayattu to depict the relationship between humans and earth. Sadhguru will travel from Nashik to Mumbai, where he will address a star-studded mega-event on Sunday at the Jio World Convention Centre. Sadhguru, who set off on a solo motorbike adventure across Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East on March 21, 2022, just arrived in Jamnagar, Gujarat.
Continuing his tour across nine Indian states, he has travelled through Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana, New Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined Sadhguru at a Save Soil event in New Delhi to convey his full support and encouragement for the campaign. Sadhguru presented Prime Minister with the Soil Policy Handbook, which provides real, scientific solutions that governments may implement to regenerate their country’s soil.
Since his arrival in India, the governments of Gujarat, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh have inked an agreement to conserve soil. The campaign has reached billions of people, and 74 governments have decided to take action to protect their countries’ soils. The Save Soil Movement’s principal goal is to persuade all governments throughout the world to demand a minimum of 3-6% organic content in agricultural soils through urgent legislative changes. Soil experts have warned of ‘soil extinction’ if this minimal organic content is not met.
Nearly 30% of India’s rich soils have already become barren and unproductive. The United Nations has warned that with present rates of soil deterioration, 90% of the planet might become desert by 2050. Sadhguru launched the Save Soil campaign in March 2022 in order to stop this disaster. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations World Food Programme, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature all back the Save Soil Movement (IUCN).
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