Remembering Soil Vasu: A Lifelong Champion of Healthy Soils
Anyone who has ever met P Srinivas ‘Soil’ Vasu, Founder of SOIL (Sustainable Organic Initiatives for Livelihood), can attest to his warmth, generosity, and endless energy. He dedicated his life to educating farmers about the importance of soil health and will be remembered for his unwavering commitment to the farming community. It brings us profound grief to write or even think of him in the past tense, but someone as special as Soil Vasu should be celebrated openly so that his legacy lives on.
We, at WELL Labs, met him a little over three years ago, in our previous avatar as the Centre for Social and Environmental Innovations at ATREE. On May 10, 2022, he organised a soil workshop with Rainmatter Foundation that we had the pleasure of facilitating. And that was the start of our collaboration—the numerous workshops that followed, jovial time spent on field in various parts of Karnataka, conversations filled with banter and kindness, and endless and infectious enthusiasm!
Through his workshops, he aimed to drive consensus on farmer-friendly indicators of soil health that are also scientifically defensible. Our team at the time, including Veena Srinivasan, Sandeep Hanchanale, Syamkrishnan P Aryan, Manjunatha G and Karishma Shelar, attempted to capture the essence of these workshops through blogs and articles like these:
It was during one of these workshops that we met Prabhakar B, a farmer from Karnataka’s Kolar district, who had leased degraded rainfed plots and converted them into biodiverse agroecological farms. Vasu budhee spent countless hours with farmers like Prabhakar, researchers like us, donors and anyone who would listen, promoting Akkadi Saalu, a traditional intercropping system from Karnataka. In this article for Mongabay India, Manjunatha G, Sandeep Hanchanale and Veena Srinivasan document the benefits of the Akkadi Saalu method that Vasu budhee so strongly believed in.
What made Soil Vasu so special was his unwavering passion for building soils. It was as if every pore of his being was devoted to that one purpose. To him, everyone was a partner, a fellow traveller—never a competitor—because he believed the only goal was to make the world better. He had a rare gift: he made soil engaging and enjoyable. What many consider a dull subject, he transformed into a living story. With his incredible storytelling, he could hold farmers captive for days, speaking about soil with energy and conviction. His encouragement, warmth, and boundless enthusiasm are what truly made him extraordinary.
Dr Veena Srinivasan, Executive Director, WELL Labs
Our Rural Futures programme has spent years working in Karnataka’s Raichur and Koppal districts with the aim of transforming rural lives and livelihoods. Now, as we expand our scope of work, we can’t help but look back at the journey—one that we have walked only because of the likes of Soil Vasu and Prarambha.
“Budhee, I am Vasu, your fan.” This was always Vasu’s opening line. Farmers loved hearing this and slowly became his fans. Soil Vasu would sit with farmers who strongly believed only in chemical farming and show them, through simple and practical models, how chemicals damage soil health. He taught thousands of farmers about sustainable farming, sustainable rainfed farming, and soil conservation. Vasu could easily connect with people of all ages, speak in a language they understood, and teach life lessons in farming through practical activities. He was truly a Teacher of Soil. We always remember his smiley face.
Manjunatha G, Senior Field Engagement Officer, Rural Futures programme
Clad in pastel cotton kurtas and armed with pamphlets, brochures and posters on soil, Vasu budhee would use the simplest of words and methods to explain soil health. So, it was only natural that he worked with our Green Rural Economy (GRE) initiative to create playbooks and flipbooks on subjects like making compost and testing soil health. He saw the value in communicating science through simple words and effective design, and would gravitate towards our communications team. It was an absolute delight ideating with him to create the logo for SOIL. He ensured that even an earthworm and an ant were well-represented in his logo—he couldn’t conceive the idea of soil without its tiny inhabitants! His ideas of disseminating complex ideas went hand-in-hand with our core beliefs.
Soil Vasu, whom we fondly called ‘Vasu budhee’, was a true soil champion. The way he could steal the show in any farmer training was remarkable—whether by starting with a Kannada song on soil or by posing provocative questions to farmers. The dryland farmers of Mukkanal and Mandalgudda in Devadurga, Raichur, will remember him with deep affection. Every week, he would reach out to discuss his many dreams—whether planning a convening or envisioning a soil museum. He always wanted to sensitise children, youth, and farmers about the importance of soil. More recently, he was working to bring soil and water together, collaborating with Water & Land Management Institute (WALMI) and others to organise workshops and training programmes.
Syamkrishnan P Aryan, Senior Programme Manager, Rural Futures programme
Soil Vasu was one of our biggest cheerleaders, and we will ensure that he lives on through our work and in our fond memories.
Vasu was a man on a mission, a one-man army, whose dream was to create a large movement of soil champions. Though that dream remains unfinished, it is now our duty to carry forward his vision and draw inspiration from his life, his dreams, and his actions.
Syamkrishnan P Aryan, Senior Programme Manager, Rural Futures programme
Acknowledgements
Authored by Ananya Revanna
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