CHENNAI/COIMBATORE, JUNE 5
To mark the World Environment Day, the Save Soil Movement headed by Sociopreneur and founder of the Isha Foundation Sadhguru initiated various programmes including cycle rally and tree plantations across several cities and town in Tamil Nadu on Sunday.
A cycle rally in Chennai to raise awareness about the looming threat of global soil extinction and plantation drives across several districts of Tamil Nadu were organized by Isha volunteers.
Hundreds participate in Chennai Cycle Rally to raise awareness about the Save Soil Movement
The 55 km cycle rally organized by Babes on Bikes/Boyz on Bikes, a city-based group of cycling enthusiasts, commenced from Mylapore at 5 a.m. and culminated in Chengalpattu in Chennai.
Hundreds of cyclists demonstrated their support for the global Movement to Save Soil. The Movement was launched in March 2022 by Sadhguru, who has initiated mega ecological projects at the state and national level to restore soil health, in the last two decades. Sadhguru has now scaled the effort globally through the Movement to Save Soil. The Movement comes in the wake of rapid degradation of fertile soils across the world threatening global food and water security. In the last 100 years, soil degradation has led to a 90% drop in nutrients in food.
The primary objective of the Save Soil 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.
“Worldwide soil fertility is declining rapidly,” participants in the rally said adding that UN agencies have warned that with the current soil fertility, agriculture will only be possible for the next 45 to 60 years. Referring to the imminent global food crisis, participants stated that by 2045 the world population will exceed 900 crores while food production could fall by 40 percent, according to a UN study.
Soil degradation is referred to as desertification and causes fertile soil to turn to sand making it incapable of yield. UN agencies are now terming the phenomenon ‘soil extinction’. Its potential effects include food shortages around the world, large-scale displacement of people, civil strife and intensified climate change.
Farmers plant 2,00,000 saplings across TN
In a state-wide initiative to Save Soil, farmers across Tamil Nadu pledged to plant 2 lakh saplings in three days – June 3, 4 and 5 – to mark World Environment Day. The plantation drive was organized and enabled by the Cauvery Calling Movement.
On 5th June, farmers planted more than 10,000 saplings: 4,000 saplings on 10 acres in Kanchipuram district, 4,800 saplings on 13 acres in Tiruvallur and 1,450 saplings on 7 acres in Chengalpattu.
The Cauvery Calling Movement aims to improve soil health in the Cauvery river basin to restore river Cauvery’s depleted flows. It proposes an economically profitable and ecological beneficial model of farming known as tree-based agriculture. The model, proven on ground for nearly two decades, has significantly improved farmer economy.
As part of the plantation drive, farmers planted cash value trees such as teak, sheep, sandalwood, mahogany, vetch and neem. The Cauvery Calling Team on ground studied the soil and water quality of agricultural lands and recommended soil-friendly saplings for planting.
Cauvery Calling teams have facilitated the planting of thousands of saplings to mark anniversaries of agricultural scientists Nammazhvar, Nel Jayaraman and MaramThangasamy.
The Save Soil Movement is supported by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), World Food Program, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Commonwealth. Since the launch of the Movement, 74 nations have pledged concrete action to save soil in their countries.
5-km Marathon flagged off by Commanding Officer Ashok Roy at Coimbatore
A 5-km marathon in Coimbatore raised awareness about the potential threat of ‘soil extinction’ and the effort to prevent it through the Save Soil Movement. The marathon offered a platform for citizens to demonstrate their support for the Save Soil Movement to commemorate World Environment Day.
Commodre Ashok Roy, Commanding Officer, INS Agrani, flagged off participants from the starting line at R.K.Sri Rangammal Education Center near VOC Park. Hundreds, including school and college students, participated. The awareness drive started from Sri Rangammal Education Center and ended again after a journey of about 5 km.
