Odisha villagers preparing seed balls to conserve medicinal plants, restore green cover 

With the rainy season setting in, the villagers of the Deomali area in Koraput district are currently going the extra mile to preserve their jungles and greenery. 

These days, they are preparing seed balls and throwing them randomly in the jungle. A seed ball is a seed wrapped in a round-shaped clay cover with manure inside. The chance of germination of the seed inside the ball is high when it comes in contact with rainwater. It is a low-cost but effective technique to improve the green cover. 

Since several species of valuable medicinal plants in Deomali area are on the verge of extinction, the conscious villagers have come forward to intervene with this seed ball technique. They are working under the guidance of Hari Pangi, a tribal researcher who is working to preserve the medicinal plants of Deomali area. 

“We know it from our tribal tradition that there is a plant named Indrani. The plant is said to have some intrinsic potential to draw rain from clouds. Our natural forest and Deomali Hill have plenty of Indrani, Saptarushi and several other medicinal plants. We have to preserve them for posterity,” said Pangi. 

The villagers are preparing the seed balls with the seeds of those plants and trees that help bring rain and cure diseases. The plants include ‘Gangasiuli’, ‘Bisalyakarani, ‘Rutimada’, ‘Kochila’ and ‘Sataparada’. 

“There are thousands of plants and trees that can be characterised for their intrinsic quality of drawing poisonous substances from soil and air and releasing nectar. Such species are to be preserved,” he added. 

“I was invited to the US and during my stay, I visited eight to 10 states and attended 30 seminars. What I learned is that they are working on climate change and biodiversity conservation. They have taken it up as a challenge to stop the felling of trees by 2030,” he added further.