‘Everything Grown On A Farm Must Belong To The Farmer’: Sadhguru Calls For End To Colonial-Era Laws

In a significant push for agrarian reform, Sadhguru, the founder of Isha Foundation, called for the total liberation of the Indian farmer from “British-era” restrictive laws during a massive agricultural

seminar in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, on Saturday. Addressing a gathering of over 10,000 farmers, Sadhguru urged Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to amend policies that currently prevent farmers from exercising full ownership over the produce grown on their own land, particularly timber.

Sadhguru’s primary contention centres on the legal distinction between produce grown on private agricultural land and that found in state-controlled forests. He argued that the current regulatory roadblocks, which often require farmers to seek government permission to cut or sell trees grown on their own property, act as a deterrent to sustainable agroforestry.

पूज्य श्री सद्गुरु जी के अनुभवों से प्रेरणा लेकर हम Tree Based Agriculture की नीति बनाने का काम करेंगे।

मैं आपके एक डेलिगेशन को आमंत्रित करता हूं कि वे कृषि मंत्रालय आएं और अपने अनुभवों को हमसे साझा करें।@SadhguruJV@ishafoundation pic.twitter.com/M3f6N0Iwbm

— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) December 27, 2025

“Everything grown on agricultural land must belong to the farmers,” Sadhguru emphasised, adding that market rules, rather than bureaucratic oversight, should dictate agricultural commerce. He specifically targeted a colonial-era law that claims anything found more than eight feet below the soil surface belongs to the government, calling for its immediate amendment to empower the farming community.

The event was notable for its rare display of cross-party consensus. Representatives from the BJP, Congress, AIADMK, and DMK shared the stage, a sight Sadhguru described as “fortunate” given the critical nature of soil and water security. Highlighting that politics should serve the “source of our life,” he noted that when it comes to the environment, there is no room for being “differently opinionated.”

Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan lauded the Cauvery Calling movement, which has already enabled the plantation of 12.8 crore trees. The minister expressed his gratitude to the movement for rejuvenating the Cauvery River—the lifeline of 8.4 crore people—and invited the Isha Outreach team to collaborate with the Ministry of Agriculture to help formulate a national policy on tree-based agriculture.

During the seminar, Sadhguru handed over Save Soil Policy Recommendations to the Union Minister and proposed a collaborative platform involving global scientists, UN agencies, and the Ministry to scale up the adoption of tree-based farming. This model is credited with enhancing groundwater levels and significantly boosting farmers’ incomes by integrating high-value timber with traditional crops.

To date, the Cauvery Calling movement has empowered 250,000 farmers to transition to agroforestry. With a long-term goal of planting 242 crore trees, the initiative seeks to prove that ecological restoration and economic prosperity for farmers can—and must—go hand in hand.