Submitted by
LarbodiereL
on Tue, 11/05/2024 - 19:26
General Information
Resolution
49146
Period covered
Activities to implement this Resolution from Activity Reports
| Relevant operative para(s) of Res/Rec | Activities Overview | Description | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scientific/technical activities | Réalisation de fiches "plantes à pouvoir de biopesticide" (14 Fiche). Les travaux au champ : plantation, semis, binage, empaillage, arrosage, gardiennage, récolte sont réalisés par des gens de la zone d'intervention du projet. Nous comptons sur ces personnes pour nous servir de point d'entrée dans le territoire du projet pour y conduire, cette année, la même expérimentation en plein champ chez des femmes leaders, elles serviront de coach aux femmes partenaires sur leurs lieux d'habitations et seront appuyés par l'expert engagé par le projet pour cette mission. | Completed | Full activity report | |
| Scientific/technical activities | mettre en place une parcelle expérimentale sur leur terrain et le mélange des espèces végétales sur un même territoire selon un ordre défini pour que les plants puissent profiter mutuellement des capacités attractives et répulsives de ces plantes afin de repousser les agents pathogènes et autres ravageurs nuisibles et au contraire d'attirer celles qui ont un pouvoir de biopesticide. L'objectif ultime étant de réduire l'usage des pesticides chimiques afin de protéger l'environnement sans toutefois compromettre les productions attendues par les paysans et paysannes avec qui nous pensons refaire le même exercice, l'année prochaine, dans le cadre de la mise à l'échelle. | Completed | Full activity report | |
| Capacity building | From 2007 to 2020, Save Soil has been developing optimal farming techniques or crop-wise package of practices and conducted various training programs, farmer-to-farmer knowledge sharing sessions, farm visits, hand held farmers and visited model farmers from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The model farms are set up to conduct various experiments for different crops and a package of practices which are created for the farmers. This has given us valuable insights on the regenerative agriculture practices we adopted, including the problems that will arise in large-scale implementation as well as the most effective solutions that are at our disposal right now. We have managed 68 crop cycles this year in the 42 acres of model farms. |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Capacity building | Volunteers are being trained in soil biology-based regenerative practices on model farms, which will be expanded from one trial acre to 3 acres this year. 5 expert volunteers are undergoing the soil food web consultant program with Dr. Elaine Ingham and working on a pilot to enhance on-farm soil biological properties. The remaining 40 acres are used to train field staff and farmer trainers before providing guidance to the farmers on farm visits. This is ongoing yearly. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Convene stakeholders/Networking | Save Soil has been supported by regenerative agriculture stalwarts like Late Nammalvar Ayya, Padma Shri Subhash Palekar, Alangudi Perumal, Nagarathinam Naidu, and subject experts like Dr Punniyamurthy, Dr Saravanan and Poochi. N. Selvam. The mega training programs also act as a huge networking event for all the stakeholders of the movement, be it the farmers, scientists, entrepreneurs, political leaders, influencers and the younger generation.The usual training programs are attended by 50-80 participants, but the mega training programs conducted bimonthly for over 1000 participants on popular topics such as paddy and coconut cultivation. The unique aspect of this is that a large number of farmers come together to interact with successful lead and model farmers. This event also encompasses exhibitions for natural produce, traditional seeds, new technologies and machineries, value addition ideas, registration into FPOs and much more. Mesmerizing cultural elements and delicious food is served as well to the participants in a celebratory manner. Hardly any participant leaves the program midway. The program is dense with ample videos and farmer sharings. Participating farmers also share their experience and feedback as well as their interest in taking up the mentioned practices. The impact of this program is often attended by local influencers and leaders, media and celebrities. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Education/Communication/Raising awareness | A social media team was set up to create high quality content that covered a wide range of topics ranging from training programs, awareness, best practices in crop cultivation, success stories to pests/weeds/diseases management and innovative farming practices. This totals 329 creatives and 177 videos. In 2022-2023 the helpline team answered 5000+ technical queries and addressed 6000+ calls for program registrations. The WhatsApp support team shared relevant information to the farmers through 191 WhatsApp groups of 30,000 farmers, of which 12,800 were added in 2024. A technical team answers farmer queries posted in these groups. Special Awareness Programs took place on our model farm for G20 Officials from various countries and NABARD top officials invited by Tamil Nadu Agricultural University. Local students were invited for a 10-day special awareness program in our model farm this year, and interacted in-person with Sadhguru and remotely with a farmer from China on regenerative agriculture. More than 23,000 farmers were trained in 231 programs as of 31 Mar 2024. One in five farmers has fully transitioned to regenerative agriculture as a result of these programs.. Out of that, over 200 lead farmers have become champions of regenerative agriculture in the state and are spearheading the movement. Hands-on training was also provided to 40 farmers who came in 4 batches and stayed on the model farms for the 3-Month Farm Intensive Training program, during which they learned all the crop cultivation techniques and practices on the model farm. They were given certificates and some stayed back to support the movement. The Awareness and Training team conducted 78 programs of 26 types for 6854 participants across Tamil Nadu, out of which 3 were mega training programs conducted this year. Mega trainings are similar to awareness programs for major crops and popular topics. |
Completed | Full activity report | |
| Field activities | Since 2008, Save Soil has nurtured model farmers who have successfully transitioned to regenerative agriculture from conventional agriculture. By doing so, they have drastically reduced their dependence on external inputs and increased their incomes significantly. These model farmers have also become farmer volunteers, and now share their experience with fellow farmers through training programs conducted by Save Soil. Their farms have also become model farms, where live sessions are conducted for farmers on various crop cultivation aspects. We have 11 trained staff who visited 1490 farmers all across the state out of which 1006 were fully transitioned and 484 were transitioning in this financial year. They identified over 630 lead farmers and over 207 expert farmers. 206 farms have the possibility to conduct training programs and 173 farms have the possibility of an awareness video shoot. |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | COP15 Sadhguru presented the 3-pronged strategy to return a minimum 3-6% organic matter content to agricultural soils across the world: 1) government incentives for farmer adaptation of sustainable soil management practices 2) easy access for farmers to carbon markets 3) preferential market for food certification based on SOM content of the soil COP28 Save Soil presented Soil as a Climate Solution: Healthy soil is essential for carbon sequestration, which can help mitigate climate change. The initiative argued that investing in soil health can significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Sadhguru discussed the importance of adopting sustainable agricultural and industrial practices to mitigate environmental impact. |
Completed | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | The Indian Government is taking proactive steps to restore soil health by large scale promotion of Natural Farming. The National Centre for Organic and Natural Farming (NCONF) & National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmer Welfare, have expressed willingness to collaborate after very successful stakeholder consultation meetings. The MoU with MANAGE was later signed. | Completed | Full activity report | |
| Scientific/technical activities | SS-TKV (Thaimann Kaakum Vivasayam, Agriculture that Revitalize the Soil) aims to transition farmers from conventional agriculture to climate resilient agriculture over the next decade. The key is implementing a scientific, effective, and scalable methodology for crop cultivation. Currently, natural farmers across India are employing various techniques which need a comprehensive understanding of the effects these inputs have on soil and plants, or how these practices can be optimized. Many farmers report issues with stagnating yields, underscoring the need for a more informed, data-driven approach to enhance soil health and productivity. SS-TKV is committed to restoring soil health by focusing on its biological properties, which have been significantly degraded by chemical farming. Influenced by thought leaders such as Dabolkar, Subhash Palekar, and Nammazhvar Ayya, TKV understands the crucial role microorganisms play in soil health and crop yields. Now TKV’s approach is also deeply influenced by pioneers like Dr. Elaine Ingham, whose research on soil biology, its symbiosis with plants, the importance of a balanced soil food web, optimum fungal bacterial ratio and its effect on plant succession has transformed our understanding of agriculture. Equipped with this knowledge, TKV collaborated with model farmers to conduct simple experiments involving hot composting, cover cropping, and no-till practices on their croplands. These initial trial results gave clarity about the effectiveness of the practices and the confidence to kickstart a comprehensive ground-proofing pilot project on our model farm. The objective of this project is to ground-proof the RegenAg practices that have been successfully implemented in various parts of the world so that it can be adopted in India’s farming conditions. |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Capacity building | Farmer led Nurseries: There are two primary innovative livelihood models which empowers farmers to actively contribute to Cauvery Calling's success, while creating a sustainable source of income for themselves -Farmer led Production Nurseries: 42 farmers were trained to run these nurseries. The farmers also receive seeds and sapling bags to produce high-quality, organic saplings. Cauvery Calling offers an assured buy-back arrangement, guaranteeing a market for the produced saplings. -Farmer led Distribution Nurseries: This model has empowered 19 farmers to distribute saplings from nurseries established on their own land. Cauvery Calling provides these farmers with ready-to-sell saplings and offers incentives for successful distribution. 5S training for Nursery Workers: The 5S training is designed to reduce waste while optimizing productivity through maintaining an orderly workplace and using visual cues to attain more consistent operational results. 5S refers to five steps – sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain (also known as the 5 pillars of a visual workplace). Cauvery calling Nursery workers are trained in maintaining the 5S, which builds their organizational skills in any activity they undertake. |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Convene stakeholders/Networking | -2019 - Isha Outreach participated in the summit as part of the Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) coalition led by UN Environment. Rally for Rivers was included in the NBS Compendium -2019 - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Rainforest Alliance, and EcoAgriculture Partners have included Cauvery Calling in their initiative to support global landscape restoration efforts -2019 - IWMI has extended its support for the work of Isha Outreach and has offered to provide technical assistance for the Cauvery Calling project. -2019 United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) extended its support for Isha Outreach’s work and offered to provide assistance for the Cauvery Calling project. -2020 Isha Outreach was accepted as a Member of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Membership. The organization also formally extended its support for Isha Outreach’s work and offered to provide technical assistance for the Cauvery Calling project. -2020 - Sadhguru joined leaders Klaus Schwab, Jane Goodall, Ivan Duque, Marc Benioff, and others at the World Economic Forum, Davos, 2020, to launch a major global initiative of World Economic Forum and UN Environment which aims to unite governments, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and individuals in a "mass-scale nature restoration. -Isha Outreach - Cauvery Calling signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), to synergistic collaboration between Cauvery Calling and various government-based agroforestry promotion schemes in the districts that comprise the Cauvery basin. -The government of Karnataka has produced and distributed 32 million saplings in the project region since 2020. Cauvery Calling has been supporting the government by creating awareness among farmers on tree-based agriculture. |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Education/Communication/Raising awareness | -The Cauvery Calling campaign was launched to revive the Cauvery River by enabling plantation of trees on lands of 5.2 million farmers in the basin. In September 2019, Sadhguru traversed through the districts along the Cauvery River to create awareness about tree-based agriculture. The initiative was fully supported by the governments of the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, through which the river passes. -Awareness stats: -865 public events -3080 km in 16 days Massive Farmer Outreach: -270,000 farmers -7,000 villages -56 LED vans |
Completed | Full activity report | |
| Education/Communication/Raising awareness | Farmer Training Sessions: -Day-long extensive technical training conducted bimonthly on tree species and intercropping by agri-scientist experts and model farmers. These trainings take place at a model farm and connect 1000-2000 participants with experts, merchants and government officials. -17,500+ farmers participated in a Mega Training conducted. 34,500+ farmers have attended the live streaming of these sessions. Some of the mega trainings are mentioned below: -1500+ Farmers and Experts at a Jackfruit Festival (2023) Showcasing 100+ Products, with insights into jackfruit cultivation, tree-based agriculture, value addition and marketing strategies. -2000+ Farmers at the “Profitable Sandalwood Cultivation for the Common Man” Seminar (2023), where forestry scientists and pioneering farmers explained cultivation techniques, sales opportunities and conservation methods. 12 x 7 Farmer Helpline: -Trained volunteers answer farmer queries on a helpline open 365 days, 12 hours a day. Farmers are connected to seasoned experts for specific technical queries like pest attacks and natural input recommendations which are answered within 24-48 hrs. To date, 72,000 farmer queries have been answered. Social Media Knowledge Sharing and Engagement: -Youtube, Facebook, Instagram in regional languages with content on best tree-based agriculture technologies and success stories of model farmers act as a knowledge repository. Farmers are notified of upcoming in-person training sessions through these platforms. So far, 1,100 farmer training videos have been uploaded on Youtube with over 35 million views, and 700,000+ subscribers. -Peer to Peer Learning via Farmer WhatsApp groups moderated by regional field personnel allow farmers to receive immediate responses for any queries and stay updated on upcoming training and engagements. 50,000 farmers are on these 200+ Whatsapp groups. |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Field activities | -Cauvery Calling is a campaign of the Save Soil Movement to support farmers in the Cauvery River basin to adopt tree-based agriculture. Bringing one-third of the basin under green cover can mitigate the effects of deforestation, soil degradation, water depletion, and farmer livelihood loss. To revitalize land, water, and people, the below activities were undertaken: Production and Distribution Nurseries: -To create access to high-quality, organically-produced saplings at low cost, until 2024, three production nurseries are established, where lakhs of saplings (timber and non-timber) are produced every year. These are distributed to beneficiaries at highly subsidized rates through 28 distribution points. -In addition, to recognize the importance of creating sustainable livelihoods for farmers, in 2022, farmer nurseries were piloted in Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, empowering farmers to become active participants in the project’s growth. Under this 61 Farmers were trained to run their own Production and Distribution nurseries and were supported through a sapling buyback arrangement and performance incentives. -Monitoring and Evaluation is conducted every year by Cauvery Calling through a physical survey of reviewing saplings planted by farmers who have taken more than 250 saplings. Field executives collect the geo-coordinates of the land, details of the farmers visited, species- wise number of trees planted that survived and other details about the land on a mobile-based open source application that was developed in-house. -Farm visits for pre-plantation consultation and post-plantation farmer query resolutions and surveys are conducted to handhold farmers in their journey towards tree-based agriculture. Since 2022, 63,000 farm visits have been conducted. |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Field activities | Farmer Outreach and Support System: -Field executives(Agricultural experts) conduct village-level awareness meetings and meet various NGOs and Farmer producer organizations (FPOs) to mobilize the maximum number of farmers to adopt tree-based agriculture. Field executives also participate in agriculture exhibitions to generate farmers’ interest in tree-based agriculture by displaying brochures, saplings in a stall. Farmer Outreach and Support Process consists of: -Pro bono assistance to farmers transitioning to tree-based agriculture -Farm Field visits to conduct soil and water testing -Tree recommendations by soil type -Distribution of organically-grown, high-quality, subsidized saplings -Recommending farmers the best practices for intercropping, irrigation, fertilizer use and pest management -In the awareness meetings model farmers engage one to one with the attendees to address various queries -The entire farmer outreach and support system is guided by experts |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Fundraising | -There is ongoing effort to engage global citizens in supporting a public eco-restoration movement. The project is supported by 580,000 donors from 171 countries. In addition, we have set up a crowdfunding platform for anyone to become a fundraiser. So far, people from across the world have created 50,000+ crowdfunding campaigns to support this movement. -We have a dedicated fundraising team that has enrolled over 75 Corporate Social Responsibility Indian organizations like SBI, HDFC banks, etc. Also, we were able to get multiple foreign grants from companies like Yves Rocher, Rainforest alliance, etc. -A quarterly newsletter is sent out to engage individual donors and periodic detailed progress reports are shared with CSR donors. |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | -Before the Cauvery Calling campaign was launched as an on-ground model in 2019, Sadhguru had presented policy documentation on revitalizing rivers in India to the Prime Minister of India in 2017 after rallying for rivers from southern India to northern India in 30 days. Then, NITI Aayog, an apex public policy think tank of the Government of India (GOI) reviewed the policy recommendation and circulated it in 2018 to all States of India to launch projects to revive rivers. -In 2020, the carbon sequestration potential of Cauvery Calling projects to contribute towards India’s NDC targets under the Paris Agreement were presented to the Environmental Minister of India. -The water resource ministry acknowledged Sadhguru’s efforts in reviving rivers when this budget was released. The significance of this recommendation is now driving a change from an engineering-based approach to nature-based approach for river revitalization. -All these steps led to the Government of India allocating a $190 billion budget to revive 13 major rivers across the country. -After Cauvery Calling was launched in 2019 and the detailed project report was presented to the government, the State of Karnataka increased farmer incentives by 25%. The Karnataka Government is now providing an incentive of Rs.125/- per sapling under its Krishi Aranya Protsha Yojane (KAPY) programme to farmers in the first 3 years for up to 400 saplings per hectare, based on sapling survival rates. |
Completed | Full activity report | |
| Scientific/technical activities | -Cauvery Calling’s detailed project report (DPR), which includes a detailed financial model for the plantation of 2.42 billion trees in Cauvery basin, was submitted to Karnataka and Tamil Nadu state governments, with the Karnataka government committing to provide 32 million saplings to the project. -Cauvery Calling’s detailed need assessment document, prepared with inputs from field experts and scientists, lays out the problems of deforestation, reduced rainfall, river depletion, farmer suicides, intensified droughts and floods, unsustainable land use. The proposed solution is an economic model with ecological benefits, namely,agroforestry on private agricultural land to provide economic opportunities for local communities while improving soil structure, water infiltration, forest conservation, and up to 33% green cover in the Cauvery basin. -In 2020, a technical document covering the potential impact of Cauvery Calling in mitigating Climate Change and contributing to India’s NDC targets under the Paris Agreement was created and this was received by the Indian Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Online Platforms to Support Farmers: -48,000+ farmers are being nurtured with knowledge of tree-based agriculture and training event updates via Farmer WhatsApp groups -72,000+ farmer queries were resolved via 12/7 helpline -700,000+ followers for Cauvery Calling farmer-centric social media channels -35 million viewership on regional Youtube channels |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Capacity building | Training of Bhoomitras. Bhoomitras, or friends of the soil, are local change leaders who are the last link in the process of faithful handholding of the farmers in adopting sustainable soil management practices. These local youth have been extensively trained, both through classroom teaching and on-field exposure in collecting data, conducting training, understanding the nuances of agricultural problems and providing timely help. All of them have been trained in proper scientific methods of soil sample collection, pests and diseases identification, and monitoring and reporting by respective domain experts. They will be trained with state-of-the-art IT-based farm management platforms for data collection and reporting. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Convene stakeholders/Networking | Save Soil hosted an experts roundtable on WSD 2022 bring together international experts to discuss the most urgent questions regarding revitalizing soil through policy. 155 soil experts from 31 countries were in attendance. The Save Soil Experts Roundtable with Sadhguru on World Soil Day, December 5, 2022 with an expert panel from INRAE, ICBA, ITPS, GLI, 4p1000 and many others to collectively discuss the most urgent questions around revitalizing soil through the science-policy interface, which 155 soil experts and NGOs from 31 countries participated, also falls under this category. Save Soil is collaborating with the Sadhguru Center for a Conscious Planet (Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) on a series of talks featuring medical professionals, scientists, nutritionists, and experts from various fields and Sadhguru, discussing the importance of soil in various aspects of human health. In July and August 2024, talks were given on the topics of Eco-Anxiety as well as Soil’s crucial role in human physical and mental well-being. Previous talks include the nexus of soil microbiome and human gut microbiome, and epigenetics. |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Education/Communication/Raising awareness | An "Earth Buddy" refers to someone who actively supports and promotes soil health through awareness generation and policy advocacy. These individuals pledge to commit at least 10 minutes of a day to engage in activities that help to create awareness about the importance of soil. Over 170,261 people signed up to be Earth Buddies. Training is ongoing to update Earth Buddies activities to align with the progress of the movement. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Education/Communication/Raising awareness | Around 3 million children across 63 countries wrote letters to their national leaders, requesting them to take action for soil regeneration. The Save Soil media team worked to publish 800+ articles in Europe about the Save Soil movement with coverage in Spain, UK, Ireland, France, Italy, Bulgaria, Netherlands, Slovenia, Poland, Romania, Austria, Serbia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Greece, Montenegro, Belgium, Luxembourg, Ireland, Switzerland. To date, 2000+ Save Soil media articles were published. Across the world, a total of 564 Walk for Soil, Stand for Soil, Cycle for Soil, and other Save Soil awareness events took place thanks to the participation of nearly 60,000 Earth Buddies and volunteers. Save Soil: Our Very Body, a documentary film about soil extinction, premiered on Discovery India. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Education/Communication/Raising awareness | Save Soil Rally, March 2022: Sadhguru’s lone motorcycle journey from London to India covering 30,000 Kms and 27 nations in 100 days to raise global awareness about soil extinction and affect policy change. Sadhguru met with leaders and citizens in each country to appeal for national policies and concerted action to increase soil organic matter to a minimum of 3-6%. He attended 691 events and interviews, 6949 media stories were posted in support of his journey. | Completed | Full activity report | |
| Education/Communication/Raising awareness | The Save Soil movement hosted a virtual experts roundtable on World Soil Day Dec. 5, 2022 with an expert panel from INRAE, ICBA, ITPS, GLI, 4p1000 and many others to collectively discuss the most urgent questions around revitalizing soil through the science-policy interface. 155 soil experts and NGOs from 31 countries participated. The Save Soil draft policy recommendations for seven regions as well as sustainable soil management solution catalogs (for farmers) for 193 nations were published on savesoil.org on this day. | Completed | Full activity report | |
| Field activities | Field visits to farmlands of model farmers who were supported by Save Soil farmer trainings (conducted by other initiatives of Save Soil, either Cauvery Calling Initiative or Thaimann Kaakum Vivasayam TKV) for documentation of regional viability, cost-benefit analysis, and farmer well-being in organic farming and natural farming systems. Extensive questionnaires were created with input from scientists and experts, providing multiple angles on the impact of sustainable agriculture on the soil, crops, livestock, farmers’ and family’s socio-economic status, land, and surrounding environment. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Field activities | Save Soil is working with Banas Dairy farmers in Banaskantha District, Gujarat, to increase their income through sustainable soil management SSM practices to enhance soil organic matter, soil health, crop yield, and reduce input costs, with economy of scale in mind. The project covers 37,000 ha of arable land. An extensive baseline survey was conducted in the initial 2 months, with data from 14,000 farmers and soil testing reports from 500+ farmlands. Farmer training includes SSM practices like cover cropping, mulching, crop rotation and integrated pest and nutrient management via classroom and on-farm demonstrations. The “4R’s” for nutrient management - Right source, Right rate, Right time and Right method of application - prevents excessive use of chemical inputs. Scientific packages of practices for crops are developed in consultation with regional and national agricultural experts. To reclaim salt-affected soils, farmers are thoroughly trained to use a bacterial formulation developed by the CSSRI. Constant monitoring and farmer handholding is provided through consultation with experts from CSSRI. Organic amendments such as PROM and biofertilizers such NPK bacterial consortia, PSB, ZSB are also used in the recommended dosage. All recommendations to farmers are based on soil life reports, which reflect physical, chemical, and biological parameters such as bacterial to fungal ratio, microbial biomass, microbial respiration rate, etc. Farmers are able to see and appreciate the life inside their soils through microscope photos, and adopt corrective measures accordingly. Extensive on-ground farmer support through local youth change agents (Bhoomitras, or friends of the soil) ensures farmers follow recommendations and get the best results. Bhoomitras are trained extensively in communication, leadership and data collection. They act as the real-time bridge between expert knowledge and farmers. These efforts are possible with the generous support of Banas Dairy. |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Fundraising | Ongoing efforts to raise funds through various institutions, and need support for fundraising for advocacy activities, and the capacity building of our own teams through interaction with technical experts through various conferences. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | Nepal’s Ministries of Environment and Agriculture presented a Letter of Solidarity, extending their support for the movement. The government also pledged to plant 30,000 trees to Save Soil. Rt Hon Lord Benyon (Parliament Under Secretary of State at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK) has welcomed the work of Sadhguru and the Save Soil movement in raising awareness of the importance of healthy soil. Several countries, including the UAE, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Italy, the Vatican, the Republic of Suriname, and Nigeria, along with organizations such as the Commonwealth of Nations and the Muslim World League, have expressed their support for the Save Soil movement. The Italian research organization Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA) invited Save Soil to be an official stakeholder in the European Joint Program for Soil. Save Soil representatives are part of the Steering Committee on the Drought Response team set up by Kenya. Save soil is an advisory partner to Soils4Med. India - Successfully changed policy to support farmers to take up tree-based agriculture. Govt. allocated USD2.5 billion to support farmers EU - Actively contributed to the New Soil Monitoring Directive through rounds of Consultations USA - Worked with a coalition to seek changes to support soil health in the Farm Bill 2024 Kazakhstan - Member of the Working Committee that is creating a new “Law on Soil Protection” and amending Land Code and Ecology Code. Uzbekistan - Initial stages of collaboration with Ministry of Environment to raise awareness of soil degradation and work towards a soil health policy in the country. At COP28 in Dubai, Save Soil brought soil health further into the international dialogue from its pavilion in the UNFCCC accredited Blue Zone with participation from UN bodies, finance community, farmers, soil experts and world leaders. UNFCCC policy brief urging more climate finance to be allocated to soil regeneration |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Scientific/technical activities | A Sustainable Soil Management (SSM) Catalog based on science-proven and field-tested experiments was compiled in 2022 for each of the 193 countries in the savesoil.org resource database. 100+ volunteers were inspired by the Save Soil Rally to contribute to consolidating in one place SSMs for cropland, feedland, and animal rearing. SSM practices were chosen for their suitability to the specific agro-ecological zones and WRB soil types within a country. Other considerations also include major crops/feed grown, native plant species, country-wise agricultural situation, traditional ecological knowledge, and indigenous agricultural practices. These catalogs are freely accessible to the public and are constantly being updated with new research and inputs from experts, scientists, and citizens alike. During the 100-day rally motorcycle ride from London to South India, Sadhguru presented the catalog along with the draft policy recommendations to heads of state and government officials. |
Completed | Full activity report | |
| Scientific/technical activities | Banas Dairy Workshop, December 2022. A 2-day workshop was organized at Isha Yoga Center, Tamil Nadu, to help Banas Dairy (Asia’s largest milk cooperative) address problems of fodder shortage, saline soils, and desertifying farmlands, all of which negatively impact cooperative profits, farmer income, livestock well-being and soil health. This 2-day technical workshop focused on how saline soils are formed, benefits of growing native salt-tolerant fodder species, and SSM practices such as mulching, cover cropping, and the use of cow manure, especially jeevamrutham a traditional, native cow dung-based fertilizer made from cow manure, cow urine, gram flour, jaggery, and soil, increases soil biological activity. The workshop invited experts to showcase best practices and case studies on salinity remediation and salt-tolerant fodder species. The workshop was also complemented by field visits to local model farmers practicing natural farming and methods of homemade cow manure-based fertilizers. | Completed | Full activity report | |
| Scientific/technical activities | Technical and Policy Recommendations to Institutions, State and National Governments. Governments from within and outside of India approach the Save Soil Movement for consultations and interest in collaboration. Technical consultations and recommended solutions are given based on soil types, agroecological zonation, characteristics of the agricultural sector in the country. The prevailing policy atmosphere around soil management and agriculture are also analyzed and policy gaps are identified. | On-going | Full activity report |
Actors involved from Activity Reports
| IUCN Members | IUCN Commissions | IUCN Secretariat | Other non-IUCN related organisations |
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Challenges / lessons learned from Activity Reports
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Published
I. IUCN Constituencies implementing this Resolution
IUCN Members
Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement ( France )
Ministère de l'Europe et des Affaires étrangères ( France )
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement ( France )
Institut national de recherche pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et l’environnement ( France )
Office français de la biodiversité ( France )
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan ( Japan )
Coalition Clean Baltic ( Sweden )
Office fédéral de l'environnement ( Switzerland )
World Wide Fund for Nature - International ( Switzerland )
The Nature Conservancy ( United States of America )
IUCN Commissions
IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management 2021-2025
IUCN Secretariat
Yes
II. Implementation
Activities carried out to implement this Resolution
Convene stakeholders/Networking
Education/Communication/Raising awareness
Field activities
Fundraising
Policy influencing/advocacy
Scientific/technical activities
Describe the results/achievements of the activities
• On fundraising and study: funds from AFD and the Government of Netherlands have been raised to launch a study on "Agroecological approaches as nature-based solutions"", in collaboration between IUCN HQ agriculture team and the regional EURO Office, this includes the development of specific case-studies to show how to consider NBS in agriculture. Publication expected before end 2023.
• The IUCN flagship report focuses on "Conservation and agriculture", and will include a section on the costs and benefits of the transition to sustainable agriculture. Publication expected before end 2024.
• On dissemination and implementation of NBS/agroecological practices: funds from AFD, IKEA Foundation and Pernod-Ricard have been raised for encouraging the development of agroecological projects in 6 countries: India, Vietnam, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burkina-Faso and Guatemala. In these countries, the agriculture guidance for the NBS Global standard will be tested throughout 2023.
• Common Ground dialogues have taken place across 2024 in the 6 pilot countries. Increased communication and presence in social medias.
• IUCN EURO office is contributing to the framing of the Common agriculture policy, Farm to fork and biodiversity strategies, conducting studies on NBS and biodiversity indicators and facilitating dialogues with different partners on sustainable agriculture.
• Japan, Switzerland and France have put agroecology at the centre of their agriculture policy.
• INRAE, IRD and CIRAD are actively developing applied research on agroecology in France and in partner countries.
• IUCN French Committee is developing a set of actions that contribute to deliver the resolution, and particularly a multi-stakeholder reflection on NbS for food security.
• The coalition clean baltic is developing actions in Nordic countries.
• The Isha FOundation is developing active sentization and training of farmers, and policy influencing on agroecology and soils.
• The IUCN flagship report focuses on "Conservation and agriculture", and will include a section on the costs and benefits of the transition to sustainable agriculture. Publication expected before end 2024.
• On dissemination and implementation of NBS/agroecological practices: funds from AFD, IKEA Foundation and Pernod-Ricard have been raised for encouraging the development of agroecological projects in 6 countries: India, Vietnam, Rwanda, Tanzania, Burkina-Faso and Guatemala. In these countries, the agriculture guidance for the NBS Global standard will be tested throughout 2023.
• Common Ground dialogues have taken place across 2024 in the 6 pilot countries. Increased communication and presence in social medias.
• IUCN EURO office is contributing to the framing of the Common agriculture policy, Farm to fork and biodiversity strategies, conducting studies on NBS and biodiversity indicators and facilitating dialogues with different partners on sustainable agriculture.
• Japan, Switzerland and France have put agroecology at the centre of their agriculture policy.
• INRAE, IRD and CIRAD are actively developing applied research on agroecology in France and in partner countries.
• IUCN French Committee is developing a set of actions that contribute to deliver the resolution, and particularly a multi-stakeholder reflection on NbS for food security.
• The coalition clean baltic is developing actions in Nordic countries.
• The Isha FOundation is developing active sentization and training of farmers, and policy influencing on agroecology and soils.
Challenges/obstacles encountered in the implementation of this Resolution and measures taken
• IUCN capacities on NbS and sustainable agriculture are still limited despite the ongoing collaborations in the 6 pilot countries .
• Stock-taking on IUCN NbS related projects in agriculture is still low.
• Within IUCN Membership and Commissions, agriculture is still a sensitive topic and some do not yet see the value to engage constructively in this sector to reframe agriculture as part of the solution.
• Increased efforts are necessary to create synergies and mobilize IUCN Commissions and Members, including to gain a better sense of their contribution to the implementation of the resolution.
• Stock-taking on IUCN NbS related projects in agriculture is still low.
• Within IUCN Membership and Commissions, agriculture is still a sensitive topic and some do not yet see the value to engage constructively in this sector to reframe agriculture as part of the solution.
• Increased efforts are necessary to create synergies and mobilize IUCN Commissions and Members, including to gain a better sense of their contribution to the implementation of the resolution.
Future actions / activities needed for the implementation of this Resolution
IUCN to organise a global and regional meetings with interested members on the implementation of this resolution, involve Council and Commission members, and raise awareness and interest in IUCN vision on agriculture.
Isha Foundation to continue engaging, and to raise additional funding.
Bioparc conservation is developing active community engagement to conserve biodiversity and threatened species.
Isha Foundation to continue engaging, and to raise additional funding.
Bioparc conservation is developing active community engagement to conserve biodiversity and threatened species.
Are these actions/activities planned?
Yes
III. Status of implementation
Implementation status of this Resolution
On-going: implementation consisting of repetitive, recurrent action (attending meetings, reporting, etc.)