Soil health impacts human health: Acharya Balkrishna

PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Haridwar

A two-day seminar on ‘Soil Health Testing and Management for Sustainable Cultivation of Quality Herbs’ was held in the campus of the University of Patanjali, Haridwar, on October 27 to 28 under the joint initiative of the  Union Ministry of AYUSH, Patanjali Organic Research Institute and National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). The organisers informed that this workshop was the first instalment of the “Swasth Dhara” campaign- a global awareness initiative focused on soil health and sustainable food security facilitated by innovative tools like the automatic soil testing machine called ‘Dharti ka Doctor’ (DKD). Among the dignitaries present at the workshop were the chairman, NABARD, KV Shaji and the chancellor of Patanjali University, Acharya Balkrishna

Shaji, in his address, stressed on NABARD’s role in supporting sustainable agriculture and rural development projects, referring to the significance of providing a financial package to farmers, the rural-based industries and the artisans engaged in handicrafts. He further pointed to the benefit of adopting eco-friendly farming as a source of growth in the years to come. “The current need is to increase investment in rural development and encourage inclusive and sustainable agriculture. NABARD is committed to improving agricultural processes by opening regional rural banks and cooperative banks across the country,” he stated.  Lauding Patanjali’s recent and upcoming initiatives, he said that they had remained focused on boosting farmers’ income, promoting organic farming and adopting natural farming methods.

While addressing the workshop, Acharya Balkrishna said that soil health and human health are deeply connected. “The soil has to be restored to the natural, fertile state for crops to be healthy and for the global communities to be healthy as well,” he said. He also spoke in detail about the ‘Dharti ka Doctor’ instrument, calling it a ground-breaking solution enabling farmers to find out the nutrient level of their soil in just 30 seconds. “The tool reveals a shortage of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and organic carbon and this helps farmers maintain disease-free and nutrient-rich soil,” he added.

The seminar concluded with a poster presentation session and the felicitation of winners with certificates and gifts.