A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was, on Saturday, signed between Jagadish Vasudev, known as Sadhguru, and the Government of Guyana on soil co-operation.

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, signed the MoU with the yoga guru to preserve Guyana’s soil in keeping with the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy.

The event took place at State House in the presence of President Irfaan Ali, First Lady Mrs. Arya Ali, Vice President Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and other government officials. The delegation was treated to a breakfast reception at State House and, before departing, Sadhguru made a presentation on the importance of soil sustainability at the National Cultural Centre.

He is on a one-day visit to Guyana accompanied by popular Trinidadian Soca artist, Machel Montano, who is also a practising yogi.

The Save Soil Movement is a global movement to address the soil crisis by bringing together people from around the world to stand up for soil health, and supporting leaders of all nations to institute national policies and actions toward increasing the organic content in cultivable soil which was launched by Sadhguru.

Sadhguru has been teaching yoga in southern India since 1982 and then in 1992, he established the Isha Foundation which also operates an Ashram and yoga centre that carries out educational activities.

The issue of soil degradation is a significant threat to the planet as the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) predicts that soil extinction could become a reality if soil degradation continues at present rates.

And Sadhguru’s foremost principle for the Save Soil Movement is, “Soil is our life, our very body and if we forsake soil, in many ways, we forsake the planet.”

The practising yogi has been conferred with three presidential awards among which are the Padma Vibhushan for distinguished service to the Nation and India’s highest environmental award, the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar, in 2010.