Save Soil: How Local ‘Earth Buddies’ Are Uniting to Push a global movement?

By Rupa Seenaraine

The Save Soil Movement, a global effort to raise awareness on the world’s attention to the soil has been gaining attention in Guyana – propelled by volunteers who have been determined to shed light on a grave environmental happening.
The Movement started after studies showed that agriculture, deforestation, and other factors have degraded and eroded topsoil at alarming rates.
On the global scale, an alarming 52 percent of agricultural land is already degraded. The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has stated that by 2050, 90 percent of the land could be degraded. On the other hand, the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization has quoted that only 60 years of cultivatable soil is left.
Data shows that, for example, 63 percent of India’s soils are under severe stress with less than 0.5 percent organic carbon, the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare in the Indian Government has added.
Speaking with this publication, local volunteer Yohani Singh shared some of their work in recent weeks, which included a mural painted along the Georgetown seawall to capture the attention of Guyanese, as well as their participation in Earth Hour and Earth Day activities.
“Our first interaction, as Earth Buddies, with the public was at the World Wildlife Fund Earth Hour Vigil on March 25, at the National Park. Since this event, many persons have signed up as Earth Buddies and are excited to volunteer their time and effort in various projects to raise awareness,” she noted.
On Saturday, the team participated in a tree planting exercise hosted by the Protected Areas Commission at the Botanical Gardens in observance of Earth Day, which saw the attendance of visiting External Affairs Minister of India, Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
Local artists have also come on board to lend their creativity to paint the murals across different locations. Talented artist Bevan Allicock hopped on board when he was approached to paint a mural in support of the local activities along with Eldon Allicock and Sadia Vasquez also displaying their artistic side.
“Another mural will be created by the same artists at the National Park,” Singh also shared.

Sparking awareness
The movement was started by Jaggi Vasudev or Sadhguru, who met twice in 2022 with President Irfaan Ali to discuss these efforts and Guyana’s role in saving the soil.
Last year, the Government of Guyana committed that it would allocate 100 square kilometers of land and, with the help of the Save Soil team, work with the farmers to increase the soil organic matter to three to six percent. This would craft a demonstrable model for the world on what is achievable and the positive outcomes of securing soil beyond six decades.
Other global leaders are also getting on board. At the United Nations Climate Summit (COP 27) in Egypt, the Save Soil movement was featured in the G20 Global Land Initiative Panel discussion, as one of the promising global initiatives that can contribute to the G20’s aspiration of reducing degraded lands by 50 percent by 2040. At the G20 Bali Summit in November 2022, the Leader’s Declaration contained a major agreement on reducing degraded lands to such figures as well.

Solutions
And what is the solution? To reverse desertification and revitalize the soil, efforts must be made to bring back at least three to six percent of organic matter in the soil.
There is a three-pronged approach established, which first speaks to turning the world’s attention to our dying soil. Secondly, the aim is to inspire four billion people, or 60 percent of the world’s electorate to support policy redirections that will in turn safeguard, nurture and sustain soils. The third avenue is driving national policy changes in 193 nations toward raising and maintaining the organic content of soils to a minimum of 3-6 percent.
Specifically for Guyana, it was outlined that, “Enhancing water availability through adaptive technologies for sustainable water use and management is a key strategy for increasing agricultural productivity and for ensuring food security. Two such adaptive technologies applicable to Guyana are the use of sprinklers and drip irrigation.”
Recommended for Guyana was an Ecological Pest Management (EPM) approach, which increases the strength of natural systems to reinforce the natural processes of pest regulation and improve agricultural production.
Having identified that excessive rainfall and wind can result in soil erosion causing the depletion of nutrients in the soil which is replaced by fertilisers, the use of mineral fertilizers should be promoted through Integrated Nutrient Management (INM).
“INM aims at optimal use of nutrient sources on a cropping- system or crop-rotation basis. This encourages farmers to focus on long-term planning and making greater considerations for environmental impacts.”
Information on the movement is available at savesoil.org and persons are welcome to join as an Earth Buddy.