On World Environment Day, Cauvery Calling—a movement aimed at reviving the Cauvery River—marked a major milestone: 1.36 crore saplings planted in just the last year. This brings the total count since its launch to over 12 crore trees across the river basin, a region that supports more than 8 crore people. Started by spiritual leader Sadhguru but largely driven on the ground by farmers and community workers, the initiative promotes tree-based farming as a long-term fix for environmental degradation and shrinking farm incomes. Trees were planted across 34,000 acres in the Cauvery basin. Around 2.38 lakh farmers have reportedly made the switch to tree-based agriculture—a shift seen as more climate-resilient and profitable in the long run. Cauvery Calling’s long-term goal is to plant 242 crore trees on private farmland to help restore the river’s flow and improve groundwater levels. It will also improve soil health, retain water better, and buffer farms against climate swings. Key to the initiative’s success is one of the largest nurseries supplying saplings is in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, run entirely by women. It produces lakhs of subsidised, high-value timber saplings each year. These are distributed across Tamil Nadu and Karnataka through 50 regional centres. On the ground, field workers support farmers through every stage—from assessing soil depth to choosing the right tree species. There’s also a WhatsApp network and a helpline to answer queries, while agricultural scientists run training sessions to build local capacity.