UAE supports movement to make soil healthy
ABU DHABI: Food producers around the world face multiple challenges, and soil degradation is one of the most serious ones. According to global statistics, 52 per cent of the world’s agricultural soil is currently degraded to varying degrees.
Unsustainable human activities put a strain on the soil and deplete its organic content. This leads to soil degradation, exacerbating food shortages, water scarcity, biodiversity loss, climate change, loss of livelihoods, and population displacement.
Building on its active participation in international endeavours to protect and restore soil, the UAE is gearing up to host a series of activities of the Conscious Planet Movement to Save Soil this month.
The campaign, founded by global visionary Sadhguru, aspires to activate the support of over 3.5 billion people and assist governments worldwide in formulating policies that address soil health and make farming more soil-friendly to halt and reverse soil degradation. The movement recommends mandating a minimum of 3-6 percent organic content in all agricultural soil.
As part of his “Journey to Save Soil” from London to the southern tip of India, Sadhguru will stop in the UAE from 18th to 20th May. His visit will culminate with a large-scale public event in Dubai, organised in partnership with the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE), that is expected to atract 10,000 people.
Spanning 30,000 kilometres and 27 countries, Sadhguru’s 100-day solo motorbike trip seeks to raise awareness about the importance of soil conservation to ensure continuity of life on Earth and motivate all segments of society, especially individuals to contribute to saving soil.
Mariam Bint Mohammed Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and the Environment, said, “Saving land from degradation has been one of the pillars of the UAE’S approach to protecting the environment, preserving natural resources, and advancing sustainable development since the country’s inception in 1971.”
She added, “Over the past five decades, we have established an integrated legislative framework that governs environmental protection and launched multiple programmes and initiatives to conserve biodiversity and combat desertification. We have introduced the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan, the National Food Security Strategy, and the UAE Water Security Strategy. We are currently updating the National Strategy to Combat Desertification.