Spiritual leader and the founder of the Isha Foundation, Sadhguru on Monday launched a global campaign called Score For Soil on the occasion of World Soil Day.
The global initiative, which was launched against the backdrop of the Football World Cup, urges individuals to post a video on social media of their finest football shot with the hashtag #ScoreForSoil in support of the continuing Save Soil cause.
“This footballing season, I want you to understand, every 5 seconds we are losing one football field worth of soil; it’s becoming a desert. In the last 25 years, we have lost 10% of this planet (soil) to desertification. So as a part of this, let us continue the (Save Soil) movement and have a ball too,” said Sadhguru while launching the global campaign.
Interacting with the media following the launch, Sadhguru stated, "The most significant aspect right now is the narrative on the planet has shifted," referring to the fact that there was no mention of soil in COP26 in Glasgow, whereas soil figured prominently in the climate change discussions at COP27 in Egypt".
“When we started there was so much skepticism, but right now I have no doubt that soil regenerative policies across the world will definitely happen. Right now my concern is only the pace. To keep the pace all of you must keep the voice up in many different ways so that the pace is kept," Sadhguru stated, emphasising the importance of immediate policy actions to halt and reverse soil degradation.
Sadhguru was spotted cruising through the streets of Bengaluru earlier today wearing his trademark black goggles and Save Soil gear, which brought back memories of his superhuman solo motorcycle journey across 27 countries, riding 30,000 km and still finding time to address 691 events... all in just 100 days.
In response to a query on the Cauvery Calling campaign, Sadhguru stated, "Overall, we have converted roughly 1,32,000 farmers into regenerative agricultural farming, which includes tree-based agriculture," resulting in a 300%-800% boost in farmer income. Farmers in the region have begun to recognise the financial and environmental benefits, as almost 27-30% of sapling offtake this year occurred without inducement, he reported. Cauvery Calling is an initiative that encourages farmers to plant 242 crore trees on their individual farms in order to rejuvenate the Cauvery River and serve as a demonstrable example of soil conservation.
The organic content of the soil is the primary component in the formation of life on Earth, and former ISRO Director A. S. Kiran Kumar considered its reduction as a threat. "That is where the Save Soil movement, which brings to focus that for life forms to survive, the necessary ingredients which are present in the soil should be brought back and we need to work for that," he said, calling for remedial actions.
The campaign has met with resounding success in a short period of time, reaching nearly 3.91 billion individuals. 81 countries have pledged to develop soil-friendly policies. International organisations that are leading ecological action, such as the International Union of Conservation of Nations (IUCN) and United Nations (UN) agencies such as the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), the World Food Programme (WFP), and many others, have stepped forward to join the movement.