Jagadish “Jaggi” Vasudev, called Sadhguru, drives 30,000 kilometers for land protection. He wore a motorcycle outfit in his six-cylinder BMW. (Photo: Scott Ferguson/​Wikimedia Commons)

“Sadhguru” is an honorary title. It means something like “true teacher” or “truth teacher”. The man wearing it is famous indian yoga teacher. But that’s not why he made international headlines.

But because the 65-year-old man with the distinctive white beard took a 100-day motorbike tour and 30,000 kilometers through 26 states to advertise his mission to “save the land” in capitals and metropolises.

He wanted to “shake up” people, he said – to prevent the foundations of human nutrition and thus the “health of the earth” from being trampled on. To prevent disasters in this area from becoming more real.

On his tour, which begins March 21 and travels from Britain to India, Sadhguru met with representatives from political, scientific, environmental organizations and other interest groups to press for policies to protect the land.

He is currently on a stopover in Abidjan, the port city of Ivory Coast in West Africa. There he attended the summit of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification UNCCD that part starts on Monday. Teachers are also in demand here. However, he appeared at the conference as one of the keynote speakers – in front of government delegations from 195 countries.

The Secretariat of the Desert Convention recently published a report documenting the dramatic situation of lands around the world. According to this, about a third of the area has been degraded, mainly due to unadjusted agriculture. By 2050, this could even be the case for 90 percent if no changes are made.

The UN Summit, already the 15th within the framework of the UNCCD, is meant to motivate states to take concrete action against further land destruction and “destruction” of the territory.

The state must guarantee the minimum content of humus

Sadhguru, actually Jagadish Vasudev called, is a famous man in India. He has Isha Foundation who offers yoga programs worldwide, is a bestselling author and stands beside IndiaToday list of the 50 most influential people in the country.

He has spoken at events such as the World Economic Forum in Davos or before the British House of Lords. The foundation is also involved in social and ecological initiatives. Not everyone thinks the project makes sense, there are others Criticism of Sadhguru’s ideaswhich seems to be doing better with conservative Indian Prime Minister Modi than many non-governmental organizations.

Sadhguru himself spoke of hostility by individual activists and showed support for his projects by the United Nations and several governments. This also applies to his latest project, das Land Save Movement – “Movement to save the land”.

And their main goal is: The state must ensure that agricultural soils contain at least three to six percent organic matter, i.e. rich in humus. This will keep them alive and productive, increase food and water security, reduce the impact of climate change and protect biodiversity.

So far, the teacher said, most agriculture ministries have treated soil as a kind of inanimate substance. It should be made fertile with chemical fertilizers and then bring the yield. But that is the wrong approach. In the last 40 years, 40 percent of the world’s topsoil has been lost.

In a few decades, the floor will run out

According to the United Nations, there is only enough land for 80 to 100 crops, i.e. 45 to 60 years of cultivation. “After that we will no longer have land to produce food,” said the Indian.

In fact, healthy soil is a sophisticated living system, says Sadhguru. It is possible to regrow them. For example, through the accumulation of humus, less livestock and free cropland are produced, “tree-based” agriculture, “fruit-based” nutrition, and, as the teacher puts it, the creation of a “conscious planet”.

Of course, the man who ran a poultry farming and construction business before his teacher career and also worked on a farm is not a complete rejection of fertilizers and pesticides.

If agrochemicals were stopped now, yields would drop by up to 25 percent. “That would be the worst disaster that could happen on the planet.” However, in the long run, more humus also creates fewer chemicals.

And of all that he goes on a promotional tour of his green cause on a motorbike? The truth teacher is very pragmatic. “Would you like,” he asked the interviewer, “that at 65 I can cycle 30,000 kilometers?”