‘To forget how to tend to the soils is to forget ourselves.’ – Mahatma Gandhi.

In 20 years, 40% less food is expected to be produced for 9.3 billion people. Poor soil leads to poor nutritional value. Today’s fruits and vegetables already contain 90% fewer nutrients. A study has found out that we will need to eat eight oranges to get the same amount of vitamin A as our grandparents did from one orange due to the depletion in the quality of the soil. 2 billion people suffer from deficiencies leading to a multitude of diseases. Depleted soils cannot absorb and regulate water flows. Lack of water retention leads to water scarcity, droughts & floods. Organic matter can hold up to 90% of its weight in water and release it slowly over time. It is a big help in drought-prone areas. Soil acts as a water filter and a growing medium; provides habitat for billions of organisms, contributes to biodiversity; and supplies most antibiotics used to fight diseases. Humans use soil as a holding facility for solid waste, filter for wastewater, and foundation for our cities and towns. Soil is our support system. We build on the soil as well as with it and in it. Soil holds the key to the earth’s history. We have soil to thank for the dinosaur fossils that every kid loves to see at museums, as well as the relics that tell us how humans evolved.

Save Soil is a global movement launched by Sadhguru to address the soil crisis by bringing together people from around the world to stand up for Soil Health and supporting leaders of all nations to institute national policies and actions toward increasing the organic content in cultivable soil. It focuses on bringing the necessary changes to bring a solution to the catastrophic problem that lies before us. On March 31, 2022, Sadhguru started an arduous 30,000-kilometer journey as a lone motorcyclist. He will traverse 24 nations, from London to Southern India. He will meet with global leaders, influencers, and various governments to garner and activate public support for the movement. One of the main objectives of the movement is to show the governments across the world that the citizens of their countries do want policies to take care of their soil, instigating them to take requisite actions.

According to scientific research conducted by the UN, we only have 45-60 years of soil left. The earth beneath us is dying, and we have no choice but to fight for its life, and ultimately our lives.

Darshini Shah