Do you know what seed-balls are all about? Let our students show you.

 

The hottest part of the Summer holidays in Maharashtra, India is in May. Some days the temperature reaches 46C/115F! While the academic year for our students has ended, Gabriel Project Mumbai runs a four-week summer camp that we call ‘Summer Club’.

Hundreds of children of all ages from the Kalwa slums and the rural villages of Mokhada get together in the relative cool of the mornings and late afternoons for fun activities, a nutritious meal and creative learning from Gabriel Project Mumbai teachers. One of the most interesting activities is learning how to make seed-balls (also known as seed-bombs). GPM teachers explain the importance of trees in life and how urbanization and the depletion of forests adversely effect all our lives. So, how can we look after our environment? Well, one way is by making seed-balls! The seed-ball technique was created by Japanese farmer, Masanobu Fukuoka as a way to increase vegetable and tree production.

At Summer Club, children gather over a large metal dish and mix soil, clay, cow-dung and tree seeds and a little water, rolling out balls that are then dried for a few days in the sun. Later the children release the seed balls in areas where reforestation is required and when the rains come down in mid-July, the seeds germinate from their comfy and nutritious seed-ball! "This is very innovative for the children because usually small children are disempowered in planting trees as seedlings are costly and it is too hard for them to dig deep holes in the hard earth," says Sanket Kadu, GPM agriculture officer. "The seed-ball technique is effective in tree propagation and easy for children to feel part of looking after their homes and their planet." Such a fun activity and what a wonderful lesson that teaches us all that no matter how old we are and no matter where we live, we can all be activists for our environment. To donate to GPM:https://www.gabrielprojectmumbai.org/donate