The Government of Guyana has inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Isha Foundation, becoming one of several Caribbean countries that is supporting the Save Soil Movement.
Spiritual master and yoga guru, Jagadish Vasudev, who is prominently known as Sadhguru, was in Guyana over the course of Saturday, where the framework was signed at State House during a reception hosted by President Irfaan Ali.
Sadhguru is leading a global effort called the Conscious Planet—which, among other things, promotes awareness of soil degradation through the Save Soil Movement. The movement is geared towards inspiring people to support policy redirections to safeguard, nurture and sustain soil and drive national policy changes in 193 nations toward raising and maintaining the organic content of the soil to a minimum of three to six per cent.
At an event hosted at the National Cultural Centre (NCC) on Saturday afternoon, he shared, “Soil depletion may come to such a point where people may try to transport food to feed people but if people are not growing food where they are living, at least 60 per cent of it, you are sitting on a potential disaster. It is great today that the Caribbean nations are focusing on that direction. In the Caricom region, everybody is thinking in terms of how we must be producing the food that we need”.
This is the first time Sadhguru has visited the Caribbean region. As part of his tour, he is accompanied by Soca icon Machel Montano.
Montano, in his remarks, outlined the devastating impact which soil extinction could bring to the globe, as he lauded the cooperation activated by the Caribbean behind this cause.
“We are facing soil extinction, and by that, I mean this soil is a living organism. And over the last few decades we have been losing the biodiversity, the soil microorganisms, the microbes, the life of the soil. Life insurance was to provide nutritious food for humanity and of course, the wellbeing of our children and generations. So, this movement is very important and I’m very, very proud to use my voice using platform that I have to encourage others to join…I just want to say how proud I am to be from the Caribbean and see us as people leading this charge to encourage the rest of the world. We are united as a people, different nations different countries, but one people one culture,” the singer expressed.
Montano and Sadhguru were previously in Antigua, where an MoU was signed with Prime Minister Gaston Browne to promote soil health and soil protection in that country.
Montano became an ambassador of the Save Soil Movement during his journey to greater spirituality and awareness, where he completed a seven-month Sadhanapada programme at the Isha Yoga Centre in India, under the tutelage of Sadhguru.
Save Soil will 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.
