Dutch gardener to cycle from London to India

LONDON A gardener from Amsterdam starts a 30,000 km 18,640-mile bicycle trek from London to India on Wednesday as part of a campaign to raise awareness about soil degradation.

Rens Goede'sGoede's roundabout journey to the city of Coimbatore in southern India in support of the Save Soil movement, will see him travel across 30 countries and will last an estimated two years.

I just decided that I can do more. I love to cycle, so I thought: do something crazy, get on the bi cycle and just do it," the 31-year-old told Reuters.

If we don't act now, soil will degrade further and future generations will suffer big-time; we should prevent that. We are the first generation. Who can turn this situation around? Goede's mission mirrors that of Indian yogi Sadhguru, who launched Save Soil The movement last year and supported by the World Food Programme, says soil erosion could lead to a 10 per cent loss in global crop production by 2050.