Prime Minister Mottley Envisions a Safe Future by Committing to Save Soil

Prime Minister Mia Mottley joined her Caribbean counterparts in full alignment with the Save Soil movement, a global effort to address the crisis of soil degradation. In a warm-spirited welcome at Ilaro Court, Barbados leadership joined hands with  Conscious Planet founder and global leader Sadhguru to sign a Soil Health Memorandum of Understanding. The memorandum was signed by Honorable Minister of Agriculture & Food Security, Indar A. Weir.

Sadhguru’s visit to Bridgetown comes after government leadership meetings in Antigua and Barbuda and Guyana. Barbados became the sixth Caribbean nation to sign the MOU along with Dominica, St. Lucia, St. Kitts and Nevis. Trinbagonian “King of Soca” Machel Montano, who is playing a key role in spurring Caribbean leadership and citizenry towards the movement, joined today’s meeting.

Prime Minister Mottley commended the movement’s much-need efforts to reverse soil degradation, extending her wholehearted commitment to instituting soil-friendly practices in Barbados. She echoed the movement’s critical relevance, adding that Barbados is “one of the 15 most water-scarce countries,” something many do not realize. “By 2050, if we don't make the decisions now, we will not reach there safely. This conversation is very timely, because it's trying to change generations of citizens who have come to believe that everything is instantaneous.”

In response, Sadhguru stressed the significance of Caribbean leadership uniting to address the looming threat of soil extinction. “Leadership is in the size of your vision, not in the size of the nation. This [ecological effort] is one of the most vital things we will do in our generation.”

The United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has stated that 52% of the world’s soils are degraded. Moreover, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) estimates that all of the world’s topsoil could become extinct in 60 years. By 2045, food production may drop by 40% as the population crosses 9.3 billion.

The Save Soil movement is an effort to draw the attention and support of 3.5 billion people worldwide to inspire policy-driven changes to combat soil extinction. The movement aims to activate soil revitalization strategies, namely securing soil quality by raising the minimum requirement of organic content in soil to 3-6%.

Sadhguru presented Prime Minister Mottley with a resolution, Soil Revitalization - Global Policy Draft & Solutions Handbook, which was created in consultation with top scientists in the world, considering each region’s latitude, climate, economic conditions, and traditional agricultural practices.