Sadhguru, left, says marginalised farmers need support before climate change sparks a mass migration from villages to cities. Photo: Save Soil
Sadhguru, left, says marginalised farmers need support before climate change sparks a mass migration from villages to cities. Photo: Save Soil
Sadhguru, left, says marginalised farmers need support before climate change sparks a mass migration from villages to cities. Photo: Save Soil
Sadhguru, left, says marginalised farmers need support before climate change sparks a mass migration from villages to cities. Photo: Save Soil

Indian climate guru calls for action at Cop29 to help world's small farmers


Ramola Talwar Badam
  • English
  • Arabic

An Indian climate guru will urge leaders at Cop29 to allocate billions in climate finance for small farmers, so they can learn vital techniques to protect the soil and regenerate farm land to help tackle the climate crisis.

Thousands of people representing governments around the world, companies, and environmental and human rights groups will gather in Azerbaijan from November 11 to discuss the threat of climate change.

Jaggi Vasudev, popularly known as Sadhguru, has a key message for the UN environmental summit in Baku, that more climate finance must be invested towards small farmers so they can focus on improving soil health, restoring biodiversity, boosting food security and generating profits.

The 67-year-old yogi warns the voices of marginalised farmers must be heard or the devastating impact of climate change will spark the mass displacement of millions from villages to cities.

There is a risk of significant social unrest if we do not take action
Sadhguru,
Indian yogi

“Right now, these hundreds of millions of farmers can only access 0.8 per cent of total climate finance [$660.2 billion]. If these farmers are not financially supported to transition to sustainable practices, there are going to be global challenges with food security,” Sadhguru told The National in an interview before the start of Cop 29 on Monday.

“The world is also not ready to take the burden of the mass migration this will cause from rural to urban areas. It is essential that small and marginal farmers are encouraged, supported and incentivised to take care of their land sustainably and to have a profitable livelihood. There is a risk of significant social unrest if we do not take action.”

The vast gap with only a tiny fraction of global finance going to smallholder farmers is reflected in UN Food and Agriculture Organisation studies.

Smallholder farmers typically have farmlands of five hectares or less. They account for 84 per cent of farms globally and produce one-third of the world's food while facing the brunt of droughts, wildfires and floods.

Make soil part of main agenda

Sadhguru, along with more than 70 non-government organisations, will hand over a policy document at Cop29 calling on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change for financial assistance to smallholder farmers, so that it is economically viable for them to make environmentally friendly changes.

“This is intended to influence policymakers of all parties [at Cop29] to make soil a part of the main agenda and make climate finance easily accessible to farmers,” he said.

“Cop29 has the opportunity to acknowledge agriculture as both a mitigation and adaptation strategy for climate change. According to our research, agriculture soils conservatively have the potential to sequester 27 per cent of carbon that is needed to arrest the global temperature rise by two degrees.”

Rotating crops, spraying fewer chemicals and planting trees to rejuvenate degraded land can turn fields into vast sponges to absorb carbon dioxide.

Sadhguru leads the Save Soil movement and works with farming communities to enrich the soil with traditional techniques using animal waste, vegetation to allow microbes to thrive, ensure water retention and reduce soil erosion.

His message is that conventional farming, with its reliance on chemical fertilisers and pesticides, has caused the land to degrade. Sadhguru draws thousands of people to his meditation and yoga programmes. He has more than a billion views on YouTube and 12 million followers on Instagram who listen to him speak on climate action, environment, spirituality and health.

Change on the ground

The Save Soil network works with hundreds of thousands of farmers in India to help bring about change on the ground. Sadhguru spoke of an initiative that encouraged farmers to plant trees alongside conventional crops. This has proved profitable, while re-establishing the ecological balance on farmlands and preventing soil erosion.

Farmers in south India command a higher price for turmeric after planting trees in the same field and using animal waste as fertiliser. This process boosts the amount of curcumin, a component of turmeric that manages inflammatory conditions and arthritis.

Sadhguru says allocating resources to restoring soil health can help to ease the climate crisis. Chris Whiteoak / The National
Sadhguru says allocating resources to restoring soil health can help to ease the climate crisis. Chris Whiteoak / The National

“As a part of our on-ground projects, over the last 18 years we have 225,000 farmers converted to tree-based agriculture, whose incomes have gone up phenomenally. The nutritional value in the land has gone up and the water tables have come up,” Sadhguru said.

“Turmeric farmers who are doing it with tree-based agriculture, their crop yields have gone up. Not only that, their neighbours are selling turmeric in the same season at 7,000 rupees per quintal [$82 per 100 kilogram], but the tree-based agriculture farmers are selling it at 12,500 rupees [$150] per quintal simply because the curcumin value is much, much higher - simply because of the leaf and the organic material in the soil.”

'Understand what is happening to us'

Farmers hope the world will listen when Sadhguru and others speak in Baku, as the survival of small farmers around the world depends on them obtaining funds to boost the nutritional value of the food we eat.

“If world leaders listen and understand what is happening to us, it will make a difference," said Sachithanandam, 55, from India’s southern Tamil Nadu state. “Small farmers have no back-up when there is drought or floods, we face disasters every year.”

He has benefitted from growing more than 1,000 coconut, mango, banana and timbre trees in his rice fields, using cow manure and urine instead of chemical fertilisers.

Sadhguru is also calling for 'a concrete deadline to restore agriculture soils, that all parties sign up to'. Photo: Save Soil
Sadhguru is also calling for 'a concrete deadline to restore agriculture soils, that all parties sign up to'. Photo: Save Soil

“People must know that if you kill the soil, you are killing the health of future generations,” he said. “Chemical fertilisers kill micro-organisms, organic farming and growing trees has helped because the soil needs microbes to give food to the plants. There are farmers from our village who want to change but it takes time and not everyone can manage.”

TM Manickaraj, 75, switched to natural farming in his farm in the suburbs of India’s southern Coimbatore city. He uses manure from cows, goats and chickens and has ditched pesticide for a green chilli, garlic and ginger spray.

He has planted coffee, cocoa and nutmeg with fruit trees such as mango, guava, lemon, orange and fig, and mahogany, rosewood, neem and teak trees.

“We don’t use even a single gram of chemicals for pest control or fertiliser,” he said. “But it has not been easy and I have struggled because it takes time to go natural. If a farmer gets support, then a lot can be done.”

Stand up and deliver

Experts are hoping Cop29 will deliver finance for vulnerable groups.

Sadhguru also called for "a concrete deadline to restore agriculture soils, that all parties sign up to”.

Food systems found a place in the Cop28 UAE Declaration on Sustainable Agriculture, Resilient Food Systems, and Climate Action last year, when 159 countries committed to climate-positive action towards soil and agriculture.

The spotlight in Baku will be on increasing financial commitments to developing nations.

Simon Stiell, the UN Climate Change executive secretary, has called for Cop29 to be “the stand-and-deliver Cop” recognising that climate finance could save billions of lives and livelihoods from the effects of climate change.

Results
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UAE SQUAD

UAE team
1. Chris Jones-Griffiths 2. Gio Fourie 3. Craig Nutt 4. Daniel Perry 5. Isaac Porter 6. Matt Mills 7. Hamish Anderson 8. Jaen Botes 9. Barry Dwyer 10. Luke Stevenson (captain) 11. Sean Carey 12. Andrew Powell 13. Saki Naisau 14. Thinus Steyn 15. Matt Richards

Replacements
16. Lukas Waddington 17. Murray Reason 18. Ahmed Moosa 19. Stephen Ferguson 20. Sean Stevens 21. Ed Armitage 22. Kini Natuna 23. Majid Al Balooshi

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE. 

Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Married Malala

Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.

The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.

Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

Who has been sanctioned?

Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.

Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.

Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.

Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.

The%20Sandman
%3Cp%3ECreators%3A%20Neil%20Gaiman%2C%20David%20Goyer%2C%20Allan%20Heinberg%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStars%3A%20Tom%20Sturridge%2C%20Boyd%20Holbrook%2C%20Jenna%20Coleman%20and%20Gwendoline%20Christie%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES

SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities

Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails

Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies

Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Part three: an affection for classic cars lives on

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

START-UPS%20IN%20BATCH%204%20OF%20SANABIL%20500'S%20ACCELERATOR%20PROGRAMME
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Director: Laxman Utekar

Cast: Vicky Kaushal, Akshaye Khanna, Diana Penty, Vineet Kumar Singh, Rashmika Mandanna

Rating: 1/5

War and the virus
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
What are the influencer academy modules?
  1. Mastery of audio-visual content creation. 
  2. Cinematography, shots and movement.
  3. All aspects of post-production.
  4. Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
  5. Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
  6. Tourism industry knowledge.
  7. Professional ethics.
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

The specs

Engine: 2.9-litre twin-turbo V6

Power: 540hp at 6,500rpm

Torque: 600Nm at 2,500rpm

Transmission: Eight-speed auto

Kerb weight: 1580kg

Price: From Dh750k

On sale: via special order

EXPATS
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MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

The five pillars of Islam
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)

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Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine

Storage: 128/256/512GB

Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4

Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps

Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID

Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight

In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter

Price: From Dh2,099

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%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Respawn%20Entertainment%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Electronic%20Arts%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PC%2C%20PS5%2C%20XSX%0D%3Cbr%3ERelease%20date%3A%20March%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Suicide%20Squad%3A%20Kill%20the%20Justice%20League
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Rocksteady%20Studios%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Warner%20Bros%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PC%2C%20PS5%2C%20XSX%0D%3Cbr%3ERelease%20date%3A%20May%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Diablo%20IV
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Baldur's%20Gate%203
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Larian%20Studios%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Larian%20Studios%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PC%0D%3Cbr%3ERelease%20date%3A%20August%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The%20Legend%20of%20Zelda%3A%20Tears%20of%20The%20Kingdom
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Marvel's%20Spider-Man%202
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Insomniac%20Games%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20PlayStation%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PS5%0D%3Cbr%3ERelease%20date%3A%20Fall%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Assassin's%20Creed%20Mirage
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Ubisoft%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Ubisoft%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PC%2C%20PS5%2C%20XSX%2C%20Amazon%20Luna%0D%3Cbr%3ERelease%20date%3A%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Starfield
%3Cp%3EDeveloper%3A%20Bethesda%20Game%20Studios%0D%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20Bethesda%20Softworks%0D%3Cbr%3EConsole%3A%20PC%2C%20Xbox%0D%3Cbr%3ERelease%20date%3A%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Real estate tokenisation project

Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.

The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.

Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.

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Results

Stage 7:

1. Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal - 3:18:29

2. Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - same time

3. Phil Bauhaus (GER) Bahrain Victorious

4. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep

5. Cees Bol (NED) Team DSM

General Classification:

1. Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 24:00:28

2. Adam Yates (GBR) Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:35

3. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:02

4. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:42

5. Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45

The burning issue

The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.

Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins

Read part two: how climate change drove the race for an alternative 

Read part one: how cars came to the UAE

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company profile

Name:​ One Good Thing ​

Founders:​ Bridgett Lau and Micheal Cooke​

Based in:​ Dubai​​ 

Sector:​ e-commerce​

Size: 5​ employees

Stage: ​Looking for seed funding

Investors:​ ​Self-funded and seeking external investors

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels

Crops that could be introduced to the UAE

1: Quinoa 

2. Bathua 

3. Amaranth 

4. Pearl and finger millet 

5. Sorghum

The specs

Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder MHEV

Power: 360bhp

Torque: 500Nm

Transmission: eight-speed automatic

Price: from Dh282,870

On sale: now

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League, semi-final result:

Liverpool 4-0 Barcelona

Liverpool win 4-3 on aggregate

Champions Legaue final: June 1, Madrid

WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?

1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull

2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight

3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge

4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own

5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed

Updated: November 12, 2024, 10:54 AM`