IMPERIA |
october-november-december 2019
29
rivers will flow for 365 days. If we do not hold it, it will run away within
the next fifteen so twenty days.
So what allows us to hold the water? You cannot hold water in a
dam, check-dam or barrage. These are effective for water usage,
but they cannot enhance the water supply. The only way you can
hold the water in the land is through vegetation.
There is no rocket science to this. We have to put back the green
cover in this country. How to put it back? We are 1.3 billion people,
and it is estimated that by 2030, we will be 1.5 billion. There is too
much population pressure on the land so we cannot increase the
forest cover. The only other way is to go for agroforestry – we use
the trees as a livelihood for ourselves, we grow forests for economic
reasons.
Fifty percent of the land in India is used for agriculture. If you fly from
Coimbatore to Delhi, if you look out the window every five minutes,
except for the Western Ghats, all you see is a brown desert. This is
simply because of senseless agriculture. We need to shift back to
agroforestry. This is not a new idea or concept. In southern India, in
any agricultural land, there always used to be a minimum of twenty-
five to fifty trees, at least on the boundary. I have seen in Karnataka,
people used to plant trees when their son or daughter was born
and name the tree after them. Let’s say when their girl grows up
and is 18-20 years of age, this tree is ripe. If they cut this tree, her
marriage is taken care of. If the son wants to go to the university, his
education is also taken care of. This was the economy of the rural
places.
About forty years ago, the massive usage of chemical fertilizers
started. I was into agriculture at that time and I have seen this.
Agents from fertilizer industries came and campaigned, “You have
to remove the trees. They are sucking out all the fertilizer because of
their aggressive root system. The fertilizer will not go to your crops.”
So crores of trees across Karnataka were felled.
In just two generations, we have come to a place where roundwater
has depleted tremendously, river water is going away, every water
source is just depleting. In just two generations, nearly twenty-five
percent of India is on the verge of becoming a desert.
Natural Farming Is The Only Sustainable
Way
Modern farming is forcefully trying to extract from the land,
regardless of what happens to the life that exists in the land. Natural
or eco-farming is the only way that future generations can live well.
There must be leaves from the tree and animal waste for the soil
to be rich. Unless we go back to natural farming and save the soil,
there is really no future.
If farmers shift to agroforestry, it will not only replenish the river and
soil but will also increase a farmer’s income by three to eight times.
It is in this context that I launched Cauvery Calling. We are looking
at supporting farmers to plant 242 crore trees in the Cauvery basin.
Cauvery is only the first step. If we successfully pull this off in twelve
years’ time in the Cauvery basin, this will be a game-changer for the
nation and for the tropical world.
To assist the farmer to shift to agroforestry, one thing that needs to
happen is large-scale development of saplings. Taking in all the
aspects, it costs about forty-two rupees per sapling. We are crowd-
sourcing the fund. Everybody who consumes water must join
together, because this is not about a particular region. I appeal to
all the people across the country, do not think, “Cauvery is in the
south, so why should I do it?” This is about clearly demonstrating
to the nation and the world that there is a solution, that a large river
can be revived by taking action. This should be our gift to the future
generations – that we revived Cauvery.
Cauvery Calling is a first of its kind movement, setting the standard
for how India’s rivers – the country’s lifelines – can be revitalized. It
will initiate the revitalization of river Cauvery by supporting farmers
to plant 242 crore trees in the river basin. This will increase water
retention in the basin, while enhancing farmers’ income by 300 to
800% in 5-7 years and transforming the lives of 84 million people.
Visit: CauveryCalling.org or call 80009 80009. #CauveryCalling.
Ranked amongst the fifty most influential people in India, Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic,
visionary and a New York Times bestselling author Sadhguru has been conferred
the Padma Vibhushan by the Government of India in 2017, the highest annual
civilian award, accorded for exceptional and distinguished service.
Modern farming is forcefully trying to extract from
the land, regardless of what happens to the life
that exists in the land. Natural or eco-farming is the
only way that future generations can live well. There
must be leaves from the tree and animal waste for
the soil to be rich. Unless we go back to natural
farming and save the soil, there is really no future.
