Over 2.3 lakh seed balls dispersed to rejuvenate degraded forests in Meghalaya

On the first day of World Environment Week on Wednesday, over 54,000 school children across Meghalaya took to an innovative way to rejuvenate degraded forests by dispersing over 2.3 lakh seed balls.

The seed balls (seeds of various local plants inside earthen balls) were either thrown into the forests or dispersed in their school or home gardens as part of the Meghalaya government's plan to rejuvenate the forest land degraded by rampant coal mining, jhum cultivation (slash and burn practice of agriculture) and tree felling.

James Sangma, Meghalaya forest and environment minister said they decided to take up the seed ball initiative as it is a low-cost method of enhancing green cover in the state. "It is an efficient way of seed dispersal, and the rate of germination is as high as 70 per cent, which is comparable to conventional plantation methods. The exercise can be done either by throwing or by using catapults for dispersing from a distance," Sangma said.

James T. Kharkongor, deputy project director of Meghalaya Basin Development Authority (MBDA), which is carrying out the exercise told DH that students in nearly 1,800 schools from 46 blocks took part in the exercise. "The seed balls have mainly forestry species like Amla, Sal, Gmelina arborea, albizia, moringa, and many others," he said. Drones will be used to disperse seeds in the hard to reach areas, he said.

Forest land has been severely degraded due to rampant coal mining and jhum cultivation over the years. The state government has taken up project to revive the forests after coal mining was banned by the Supreme Court and the issue created a lot of concern.

Meghalaya government adopted the seed ball project from Samir Bordoloi, a young and educated organic farmer in neighbouring Assam, who has been training young boys and girls on how to develop natural food farm. Bordoloi, who runs the Society for Promotion of Rural Economy and Agriculture Development, North East (SPREAD-NE), an NGO since 2017, said seed balls are low-cost method for enhancing green cover and natural farming. Bordoloi supplied one lakh seed balls and provided training to farmers in three districts in Meghalaya to prepare the seed balls.

Community workers in nine other districts in Meghalaya would also be gradually provided similar training to increase forest cover and natural resource management, Khorkongor said.