 Yogyakarta on 13 June 2025. This forum aims to bring awareness that Soil is no longer seen just as a medium, but it plays a significant role in food security and our future.){kind=link}
Amidst the uncertainty and threat of climate crisis happening worldwide, as shown by the rise in food prices, unpredictable harvest seasons, and extreme heat waves – the fundamental element that is often overlooked is called Soil.
The Save Soil Movement: Sahil Cycling Across Four Continents public forum was successfully held at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Yogyakarta on 13 June 2025. This forum aims to bring awareness that Soil is no longer seen just as a medium, but it plays a significant role in food security and our future.
The opening speech was delivered by Wirastuti Widyatmanti, PhD as the representative of UGM. In her speech, she recalled her meeting with representatives of Save Soil at COP29, the 29th United Nations Climate Change Conference in Azerbaijan last November 2024, which was the initial start of this initiative and collaboration.
“Soil is vital to human life, it is our source of life. Soil is the foundation that provides for humans in numerous essential ways, primarily from forests, and agriculture, to the entire food system that supplies clean air, oxygen, and food security,” she said. Wirastuti also emphasized that the university is committed to supporting this Save Soil initiative. “Through soil security, we protect the world’s Soil resources, which also means protecting the future of the earth,” she continued.
Another important message also addressed by Praveena Sridhar, Chief Science & Technology Officer of Save Soil, highlighted the importance of preserving healthy Soil, which functions like a natural sponge, absorbs water, and stabilizes temperature, so it can endure the effects of heat waves and extreme droughts. “Soil is the answer to many questions we have today. Why are we failing to maintain food security, why is the Earth’s temperature extremely increasing, and why are villages losing their crops,” said Praveena in her presentation. Praveena further explained that healthy Soil has a unique ability to absorb and store water and maintain microclimate stability. However, widespread Soil degradation has destroyed this capacity. In Indonesia, where more than 30 percent of its land is utilized for agriculture by farmers, the threat of damaged Soil could lead to a systemic food crisis. “If the Soil is no longer able to hold water and nutrients, this condition makes the use of fertilizers useless. Quality seeds will also fail to grow. This is where the threat of food crisis comes from,” said Praveena.
The event also featured Sahil Jha, a young man from India who cycled across four continents to raise the Save Soil awareness. “Soil is not just part of the earth. Soil is part of each of us. It is the foundation of every food we consume. The younger generation needs to speak out about this matter before it’s too late,” said Sahil.
From Indonesia, actress and environmental activist Raline Shah appeared with a more personal voice. She emphasized that land issues are too often seen as a technical agricultural matter, when in fact affecting the livelihoods of everyone. “The food we have on the table comes from the land. When the land is damaged, food becomes scarce, nutrition is disrupted, public health is threatened, economic and social stability are also threatened,” said Raline.
Prof. Benito Heru Purwanto, a professor at the Faculty of Agriculture, UGM, continued this message from a scientific perspective. He said that damaged land is not an instant, but rather a silent destruction that is almost invisible. “Damaged land does not recover in a matter of months or years. It takes hundreds of years of process. That is why prevention is key, rather than restoration,” he said.
The Save Soil movement is not only an awareness campaign but also encourages collaboration between universities, governments, and civil society to develop a roadmap for saving the Soil. In Indonesia, this collective effort is also directly reflected in the achievement of the G20 commitment to reduce degraded land by 50 percent by 2050, whereas national food security is one of the main agendas of the Indonesian government under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto.
On the occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was also signed between UGM represented by Wirastuti Widyatmanti, and Save Soil Conscious Planet represented by Melli Darsa, for collaboration in research, education, and community services, all related issues on Save Soil.
“It’s part of our responsibility, of what we plant today is the seed of awareness, not only to save the soil but also to save life itself,” as Praveena concluded.
