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Save Soil
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Save Soil – Thaaimann Kaakkum Vivasaayam
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Isha Vidhya
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Action For Rural Rejuvention

“Of all the economic activities in a nation, agriculture is the most fundamental and of paramount importance. A nation that neglects its farmers is bound to Dislocate its basic life-sustaining infrastructure.”                                                                                                                              - Sadhguru

Understanding the Problem

Over the past three decades, the cost of crop cultivation in India has outpaced the value of agricultural output, resulting in a sharp decline in farm incomes. Currently, the average net income for agricultural households from cultivation is merely Rs. 126 per day.  

One of the main causes of this decline is the severe depletion of soil fertility. Healthy soil should have a minimum of 3-6% organic matter, but 62% of India's agricultural soil has less than 0.5%. This degradation renders farming increasingly unprofitable, pushing nearly 50.1% of farm households into debt. Compounding this issue are climate and market risks, making the farming community one of the most vulnerable in the country.

As debt mounts, many farmers are compelled to migrate to urban areas or sell their land, resulting in landlessness. Currently, nearly 8% of Indian farmers are landless, and tragically, one farmer commits suicide every hour, leaving families in devastating circumstances.

With no pride left in farming, only 2-3% of farmers want their children to continue in agriculture. As a result, younger generations are abandoning agriculture, leaving an aging population to manage the farms. The average age of Indian farmers has risen to 50, threatening the continuum of traditional agricultural knowledge that has been preserved through millennia.

If this trend persists, the nation risks having very few farmers left to grow food in the next two to three decades.

Saving Soil & Empowering Farmers

Soil fertility depends on its physical, chemical, and biological properties. In modern agriculture, however, the biological aspect—particularly organic matter and microbial life—has been largely overlooked. As organic matter diminishes, microbial activity declines, leading to a gradual loss of soil fertility. If left unchecked, more farmers will be compelled to abandon their lands.

While the situation is dire, there is still hope. If we act now, we can restore soil health and encourage farmers to return to their land over the next 10 to 15 years. However, time is of the essence; thousands of microbial species face extinction each year. Once the microbial population dips below a critical threshold, revival may be impossible. To address these challenges, Sadhguru started the Save Soil - Thaaimann Kaakkum Vivasaayam earlier known as Isha Agro Movement in 2007.