Cauvery Calling: 20 million saplings planted in 2023-24

The movement has enabled the plantation of 109 million trees and has transitioned 213,000 farmers to tree-based agriculture since inception.

Envisioned by Sadhguru, the Cauvery Calling movement enabled the plantation of 20 million saplings in the Cauvery basin in 2023-24. To date, the movement has enabled the planting of 109 million saplings and supported 213,000 farmers’ transition to tree-based agriculture.

In the financial year 2023-24, Cauvery Calling volunteers mobilized 65,000 farmers and the general public which led to an uptake of 20 million saplings for a total area of 50,000 acres across the Cauvery basin.

The movement aims to revitalize Cauvery River – the lifeline of 84 million people – and significantly improve the economy of farmers by enabling the planting of 2.42 billion trees on private farmlands.

Cauvery Calling follows a tree-based agricultural approach that not only multiplies farmers' income through diversified tree-based agriculture practices but also enhances soil organic matter. This facilitates better water absorption, which in turn replenishes underground reserves and sustains the river's flow throughout the year.

Speaking about the progress of the movement in Karnataka, the state’s Cauvery Calling coordinator Raisa said, “Since the scale up of Cauvery Calling in 2019, Karnataka Forest Department has played a pivotal role by increasing the production and distribution of saplings to farmers, and is also working towards easing the tree felling and transit laws. We deeply appreciate the efforts from the Government of Karnataka to revive Cauvery basin’s ecology and benefit the farmer community.”

Speaking about the success of the movement, Thamizhmaran, Cauvery Calling’s Tamil Nadu coordinator, said, “Cauvery Calling is a movement that has germinated from a seed planted by Sadhguru three decades ago. We have relentlessly moved forward with meticulous planning by investing in providing quality saplings, educating farmers about adopting tree-based agriculture, and conducting mega training workshops in model farms which help farmers learn directly from other farmers.”

The Cauvery Calling nursery in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu is one of the world’s largest single-site nurseries with an annual production capacity of 8.5 million saplings. The Cauvery Calling nursery in Thiruvannamalai, Tamil Nadu has an annual production capacity of 1.5 million saplings. These two nurseries provide saplings to 39 distribution centers across the state. The nurseries also provide 29 species of high-value timber tree species, including Teak, Red Sandalwood, Rosewood and Mahogany, to farmers at a subsidized cost of Rs. 3 per sapling.

To create innovative livelihood models for farmers, Cauvery Calling recently implemented a production franchise, establishing a farmer-driven nursery production center. Anand Ethirajalu, Project Director for Cauvery Calling, said, “The pilot program received a stupendous response, and in 2023, we had 33 farming households that produced an impressive 5.5 million saplings through this program. Interestingly, 25% of the farmer producers are in the age group of 25-35. This is an indicator that profitability is inspiring young people to explore agriculture.”

“We are also creating a distribution franchise through which we sell ready saplings to farmers which they can distribute to other farmers. This model is enabling farmers to become financially self-reliant. In 2023, 18 farming households distributed 2.1 million saplings.”

To raise awareness, the Cauvery Calling project deployed over 160 field executives to personally visit more than 32,300 farmlands. These executives provided free consultations to farmers and spread awareness about the benefits of adopting tree-based agriculture. During these visits, the executives conducted thorough soil and water testing on the farms. Based on the results, they recommended suitable tree species for each farmland. These recommendations are carefully curated, taking into account the region’s endemic tree varieties, agro-climatic conditions and the income-cycle expectations of the farmers.

In addition to field visits, Cauvery Calling has engaged directly with farmers through various forums such as Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs), Agricultural Expos, and meetings with Gram Panchayats among others. The movement is continuing to support and educate over 44,000 farmers through over 170 WhatsApp groups. These WhatsApp groups serve as platforms for resolving queries and providing guidance, leveraging the expertise of model farmers and agricultural experts.

Cauvery Calling also conducted three mega training programs and 12 zonal training programs for farmers, drawing the participation of over 6,000 farmers. Experts from reputed agriculture institutes and scientists from Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Bengaluru, Institute of Wood Science and Technology, Bengaluru, and ICAR-Indian Institute of Spices Research, Kozhikode, amongst others, joined these training programs and shared practical field inputs on the significance of tree-based agriculture.

Cauvery Calling organized plantation drives on significant days and events, including  World Environment Day (5 June), Van Mahotsav Week (1-7 July), River Revitalization Day (3 September), Gandhi Jayanti (2 October) and World Soil Day (5 December). These initiatives are aimed at mobilizing widespread support for tree-planting efforts. A total of 769 events were conducted during these events, resulting in the plantation of 1.4 million saplings.

Cauvery Calling is the world’s largest farmer-driven ecological movement and a ground-breaking eco-restoration project that has the potential to be a game-changer for the tropical world. It has been named the Top Innovator in ecological conservation and restoration by Trillion Trees: India Challenge.