Thailand launches seed bombs to fight deforestation

In Thailand, the natural forest of Phitsanulok province, is part of the aerial reforestation project (seed bombing) decided by

government for the reforestation of the vegetation by 2017. Unfortunately, over the past two decades, the majority of the forests of the Greater Mekong - the river that lies between China, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam - have decreased drastically by almost half. This situation is due to the devastating human impact on the environment, caused by the exploitation of agricultural activities, deforestation, climate change, population increase. For this Thailand in 2013 he decided to drastically intervene with a five-year plan for the worst-hit areas through reforestation air with seed bombs. With this method, a plane (or drone) flying on the area to be reclaimed dropping small bombs made from clay, manure and seeds of local flora placed all ' interior of biodegradable capsules designed to silt up at the same depth with which they would be placed with traditional plowing. With a single airplane flight you can bring down even 100,000 seeds.

The invention of bombs seeds (seed bombs) comes from the idea of ​​Masanobu Fukuoka, famous Japanese natural botanical agriculture pioneer and considered the father of permaculture. The technique invented Fukuoka, is based on the principle of "doing." A system that can be summarized in three stages: seed, mulch, collect. Fukuoka considered herbicides and pesticides poisons. He did not use any kind of chemical it agricultural machinery. And on his farm there was no modern conveniences. This is to remain in harmony with nature. He began to develop simple but efficient methods such as using straw mulch that normally others burned farmers, intercropping plant nitrogen-tackers or Nengo Dango that is to create balls of clay, the so-called bombs containing seeds to be spread on the field. Fukuoka was convinced that, shoot seed bombs of flowers all over the world was much more useful than build fertilizer industries. He saw agriculture as a way to attain wisdom and created a stable ecosystem in which all living beings cooperating in harmony. Microbes and bacteria are in contact with the roots of plants and fertilize the soil, the larger animals, such as birds, frogs and goats think instead to the surface. A perfect balance that only thus is not affected by diseases and insects that sometimes infested, and still infest, crops. He saw agriculture as a way to attain wisdom and created a stable ecosystem in which all living beings cooperating in harmony. Microbes and bacteria are in contact with the roots of plants and fertilize the soil, the larger animals, such as birds, frogs and goats think instead to the surface. A perfect balance that only thus is not affected by diseases and insects that sometimes infested, and still infest, crops. He saw agriculture as a way to attain wisdom and created a stable ecosystem in which all living beings cooperating in harmony. Microbes and bacteria are in contact with the roots of plants and fertilize the soil, the larger animals, such as birds, frogs and goats think instead to the surface. A perfect balance that only thus is not affected by diseases and insects that sometimes infested, and still infest, crops.

The first aerial bombardment of seeds date back even to 1930, when Hawaii were afforested some areas of the mountains of Honolulu after a fire had devastated the vegetation. The idea of ​​adopting this technique on a large scale, but it's 1999 when Lockheed Martin, a company active in aerospace engineering and defense sectors, managed to plant 900 thousand trees in a day throwing seeds from a large military aircraft. Deforestation is a scourge all over the world and that, in addition to jeopardizing the means of livelihood of the people, is threatening a wide range of tree species and animals and helping to exacerbate climate change. In too many areas of the world the planes continue to drop bombs and kill, cause pain and destruction only to economic interests.