Women From Chhindwara Village Prepare Seed Balls To Make Land Green
The advantage of seed balls is that they can be thrown anywhere to grow plants, even in barren, inaccessible or inaccessible mountainous areas
Published : May 5, 2026 at 5:33 PM IST
|Updated : May 6, 2026 at 11:48 AM IST
Chhindwara: The women of Panjra village in Chhindwara have prepared a magical ball that converts barren patches of land green where it falls. With a view to save the continuously decreasing forests and the desolate earth, these women prepare seed balls that help in ensuring greenery while also giving material benefits. A journey that started with two women is now a caravan of several women residents of the village. These women prepare such balls, taking some time off from their household chores.
They mix farm soil, ash from their stoves and cow dung manure. All these ingredients are then kneaded, and small balls filled with plant seeds are prepared in the shape of laddus. These balls are then dried.
Shanta Baghel, who prepares these balls, said, "We only need to make some effort to make these balls as they can be made free of cost since all the material being used is easily available in homes. After planting these balls, we will be able to make the earth green. This will provide us with good air and a beautiful environment."
Meera Baghel, who has been making these seed balls for the last two months, said, "Women spend most of their days at home doing household chores. We took some time out and thought, ‘Why not do something that would generate some income and also contribute to social service?' Some people told us that we could make seed balls to beautify the environment. And then, we found ample seeds from the trees planted around our homes and in our fields."
She went on to explain that the women incorporate these seeds from the surrounding area into the laddus so they can easily thrive in the local climate.
"We are also preparing them for sale to the public. If anyone wishes to purchase them, they can plant them in their fields or in the barren land," she added.
After nearly two months of hard work, the women have prepared 10,000 seed balls that contain seeds of tamarind, aparajita, amaltas and acacia trees. These are trees whose seeds fall on the ground in large numbers. These fallen seeds lead to the growth of very few trees, but these trees can be grown easily and quickly with the help of seed balls. The women say that seed balls are especially effective for creating a green fence around the fields.
Botanist Dr. Vikas Sharma explained that the biggest advantage of seed balls is that they can be thrown anywhere to grow plants, even in barren, inaccessible or mountainous areas where access is difficult.
"The layer of soil and cow dung protects the seeds from rats, birds, insects and sunlight. This also protects the seeds until they germinate. The soil layer also retains moisture around the seeds, increasing the chances of germination even with limited water," he said while underlining that using seed balls eliminates the need for tilling or digging the field, which maintains soil health.
"These seed balls are very effective in transforming deserts or deforested forests into green spaces. Trees grown from the seed balls help purify the environment by absorbing large amounts of carbon dioxide. This is an inexpensive way to grow trees that doesn't require much labour," he added.
The women explained that they would sow these seed balls in the ground before the rains so that when the first rains come, the seeds will germinate and become plants, making the land green. Sowing seeds directly can spoil them in the heat, and many insects and pests can eat the seeds.
"Additionally, if we cultivate a nursery for plants and then relocate them, it takes time for their roots to strengthen. Many trees fail to thrive. But a seed that develops its roots at its own place is strong," they added.
