23 November 2023

Saving the soil to save the environment

Sadhguru explains the importance of soil revitalization and shares five methods we can use to save it

Soil degradation is the most urgent ecological challenge of our time, and Sadhguru, founder of the Conscious Planet Movement - Save the Soil, explains why saving the soil is crucial for human survival and how to do it.

WHY DO WE NEED TO SAVE THE SOIL?

Eighty-seven percent of life forms on this planet - microbes, worms, insects, birds, animals, humans, plants, trees, and all other vegetation - are supported by an average of thirty-nine inches of topsoil (about 1 meter). And this is in serious danger right now.

In the last forty years, 40% of the world's surface soil has been lost. The United Nations states that we only have soil for about eighty to one hundred harvests, which means another forty to sixty years of agriculture. After that, we won't have the soil to produce food. Can you imagine the suffering we will manifest in the world? Two-thirds of Indian soil has almost turned into a desert. This means nothing can be cultivated there. So, protecting the soil for future generations of this land is the most important thing.

HOW TO REVITALIZE THE SOIL?

According to Sadhguru, there are 5 methods to revitalize the soil.

1. BRING ORGANIC CONTENT TO AT LEAST 3-6% IN THE SOIL

Encourage farmers to achieve a minimum organic content level of 3-6%, providing incentives for reaching this goal.

2. TREE-BASED AGRICULTURE

Create tree cover with tree-based agriculture.

3. REDUCE MEAT CONSUMPTION

Almost 77% of the land, about 40 million square kilometers, used for agriculture worldwide is used for raising animals and their feed.

If we reduce meat consumption by 50%, 20 million square kilometers of land on this planet will become available for tree-based agriculture. All doctors recommend reducing meat consumption. This is not just an ecological solution; it's a healthy solution for life.

4. ADOPT A FRUIT-BASED DIET

At least 30-40% of our diet should come from trees, not from the 4-month crop cycle.

5. BUILD A CONSCIOUS PLANET

Man is the source of the soil degradation problem and must also become the source of its solution.

Man is in a state of unconscious and compulsive action. If he were conscious, he would naturally find the solution to the problem.

Sadhguru says: "This is why I have been working with United Nations agencies and other forces, and proposing this idea of a “Conscious Planet” movement. There are 5.2 billion people living in countries with the ability to vote and elect their nation’s leadership. We are looking at how to get at least three billion people on board so that ecological issues become the issues that elect governments. We want to make these three billion people aware of at least five ecological aspects that must happen in their country, and two or three aspects that must not happen. If we do this, then ecology will become if not number one, at least the number two issue in election manifestos.

As a part of the Conscious Planet movement, I am trying to bring focus to the most important aspect of rejuvenating this planet: the soil. Everything you see as life on this planet - including worms, insects, birds, animals, plant life, and ourselves - happens out of just thirty-nine inches of soil profile. The real damage is happening to this topsoil, which sustains every life that we know. If we can ensure the soil is organically rich and healthy, the planet will be capable of regenerating itself, and we will be able to manage the other problems, to a large extent.

Right now, over 95% of the global population have absolutely no awareness of the ecological disaster building up around them. Ecological awareness is confined only to a small segment of people, and even among them, the idea of ecology is largely limited to using less water while showering or turning off the tap when brushing teeth. It is wonderful that people are conscious about what they are using, but this is not a comprehensive ecological solution. Only when ecology becomes an election issue, will it become government policy, and only then will there be large budgets allocated so that solutions manifest.

Edited by editorial staff Avion Tourism Magazine

Save Soil is everyone's movement, and each of us can become an active participant by staying informed, promoting the movement, participating in events, and raising awareness among politicians. Discover how to get Earth Buddy.