The problem

Temperature and moisture are two essential requirements for seed germination. Chitral, a district in northern Pakistan, has an extremely adverse environment to plant growth and regeneration – there are no monsoon rains here and only winter precipitation in the form of snow. This has not only threatened natural regeneration of native plant species but also caused prolonged impacts to the soil and environment.

The solution

To promote and assist natural regeneration of land that can survive in extreme climatic conditions and restore the forests, ___ introduced the seed balls technique in the district.

What is a seed ball

• A seed ball (or plant seed bomb) is a plant seed which has been pre-planted in a small round lump of soil materials, mainly a mixture of clay and compost along with other necessary nutrients, and the entire ball containing the seed is then dried.
• The seed ball is a mini soil pocket which contains the seed and all other necessary ingredients for the seed’s survival in the same pocket. This enables the seed to germinate for a few days initially and then be produced when the conditions are right.
• Each seed is pre-planted and is generally sown by depositing the seed ball anywhere where it is suitable for the plant species. This keeps the seed safe from birds and other animals till the right moment for germination.
• Seed balls are an easy and sustainable method to achieve plant cultivation as it provides a large window of time when during the time period of the sowing.
• A seed ball is easy to transport and easy to plant.

Seed balls are also a type of nature-based solution. The materials for making seed balls – seeds, soil, and humus– are simple, affordable, and locally available. To spread this solution through a larger network and foster the understanding of ownership, we engaged all potential stakeholders, including the Forest Department of Chitral, local communities, and forest Negabhans (forest guards) in the making and sowing of the seed balls.

Implementation

A group of local volunteers, Forest Department staff, and forest Negabhans were assigned to identify degraded and deforested forest sites to promote assisted natural regeneration.

The seeds of Chilgoza Pine (Pinus gerardiana), Himalayan Deodar (Cedrus deodara), Blue Pine (Pinus wallichiana), and other local herbs and shrubs were collected and given to the village forest committees for making the seed balls. The Forest Department under FAO and Global Environment Facility’s ‘Chilgoza Project’ organised several training events in different villages to make people aware of the seed ball-making and sowing techniques. Joint events for sowing and throwing of seed balls were organised in different valleys of the identified areas.

After the snowmelt in mid of May, a group comprising a local forest staff and two members from the Local Forest Protection Committee of the area checked the regeneration.