THE Government of Guyana recently hosted a visit by world-renowned spiritual leader Jagadish Vasudev, popularly known as Sadhguru. It is not that often the country is graced with high-profile spiritual leaders such as Sadhguru whose message transcends the boundaries of spirituality and found resonance with the developmental aspirations of the Guyanese people and, for that matter, people across the globe.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed with Sadhguru and the Government of Guyana to preserve the country’s soil in keeping with the country’s Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS). The signing ceremony took place at State House in the presence of President, Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali; First Lady, Arya Ali; Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo and other senior government officials, including Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, who signed on behalf of the government. The delegation was earlier treated to a breakfast reception at State House. A presentation on the importance of soil sustainability was also made by the Guru at the National Cultural Centre. Sadhguru was accompanied by Trinidadian Soca artist, Machel Montano.
The ‘Save the Soil Movement’ is a global entity aimed at addressing the soil crisis by bringing together people, all across the world, to rally around soil health and advocate for the implementation of policies and programmes to increase the organic content in cultivable soil, a project launched by Sadhguru.
Sadhguru is known world-wide for his strong views and social commentary on a variety of issues. He has a huge following on social media and has become an opinion leader for a countless number of people. He is also famous for his teaching of yoga in southern India since 1982. He established the Isha Foundation in 1992 which also operated an Ashram and Yoga Centre. In recognition of his distinguished contribution to humanity, he was conferred with a number of presidential awards, the Padma Vibhushan and India’s highest environmental award, the Indira Gandhi Paryavaran Puraskar.
Soil degradation poses a serious threat to our planet and could lead to soil degradation. It refers to the physical, chemical and biological decline in soil quality. This could result in the loss of organic matter, decline in soil fertility, erosion, changes in soil acidity and alkalinity, among other harmful effects. Guyana, with its rich and fertile agricultural land and pristine forests has to take all possible measures to guard against any adverse impact on its soil health.
The Memorandum of Understanding between Guyana and Sadhguru is therefore a welcome initiative and could not have come at a better time, as the country is positioning itself to, once again, become the food basket of the Caribbean. The MoU is also fully in line with the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS).The new LCDS 2030, currently under public consultation, will result in a new low carbon economy in Guyana by establishing incentives which value the world’s ecosystem services and promoting these as an essential component as a new model of global development with the main focus on sustainability.
Guyana, with its vast forest cover, can earn billions of dollars in carbon credits. According to President Ali, our forests have an estimated value of up to US$54 billion annually which the new LCDS is expected to market on the international carbon market.
The visit to Guyana by Sadhguru has once again served to raise awareness on Guyana’s low carbon development strategy and its impact on the global effort to reduce carbon emission levels in the world. President Ali and his PPP/C administration must be commended for the visionary thinking and leadership role in the establishment of a safe and environmentally friendly global dispensation.
