Vermicompost, is a mixture of bedding materials, vermicast, and decomposing vegetable or food waste that is produced by utilizing different species of worms, primarily earthworms, throughout the decomposition process. Vermiculture is the raising of worms for this purpose; the process is vermicomposting. An eco-friendly, low-tech method for handling organic waste is called vermicomposting(Wachob et al., 2004). With the promising yield from the excessive external input of synthetic fertilizer in the short term, its implications are a lot more costly in terms of quality and health hazards for human beings, including other living and non-living aspects for upcoming generations. In recent years, the trend of heavy dependency on chemical fertilizers has created negative impacts such as land pollution, health issues, residual effects of chemicals and pesticides, quality degradation of produce, water pollution through runoff from agricultural fields to downstream and water bodies, and so on. This tendency gives a serious blow to the agricultural paradigm in the long run.
An emerging way to tackle this is to deploy our friend: Earthworm. It is a biological plough that makes soil friable, loose, and humus-rich. The benefits derived from vermicomposting are huge in long-term sustainable farming. Vermicompost makes soil nutrient-dense, improves soil structure, strengthens water-holding capacity, and boosts microbial activity. 426,007 metric tonnes of chemical fertilizers, valued at approximately Rs 40.5 billion, were imported into Nepal during the fiscal year 2022–2023. The annual amount of subsidies provided by the government of Nepal for chemical fertilizers exceeds Rs 32 billion. This cost creates a huge loss in the Nepalese economy as well. Therefore, vermicompost may reduce the use of chemical fertilizers as it is cost-effective or act as a supplement for cultivation. Additionally, it also decreases the likelihood of pest and disease incidence creating an environment-friendly agricultural ecosystem.
Why opt for Vermicompost/ing?
- For soil benefits
Vermicompost improves water holding capacity and soil aeration. In worm casting, the activities of microbes are higher than the normal soil. Most importantly, it enriches the soil by adding various enzymes such as, phosphatase, cellulase etc.
- For plant benefits
Plant growth is favored by vermicompost as it is more nutritious and supplemented by various enzymes. Due to more microbial activity, the foundation for plant growth i.e. soil becomes much more fertile, and loose and facilitates better root penetration. This helps in deriving nutrients from a greater depth of soil. Additionally, vermicomposting can enhance biological resistance among crop plants.
- Economic efficiency
It is a low-cost technology while ensuring sustainability. With simple vocational training and small investment local opportunities for jobs can be created. Moreover, a huge amount won’t to spent on waste conversion as vermicomposting itself is a bio-waste conversion method.
- Environmental benefits
Earthworms, during the vermicompost-producing process, do not emit greenhouse gases, methane, etc. It also degrades and decomposes biowaste thus making healthy surroundings. Worms can consume agricultural waste and reduce its volume by 40–60% when the right circumstances are met(Olle, 2019). That’s why vermicomposting is safe and environmentally friendly.
What should be done?
Vermicomposts have been demonstrated to greatly increase plant development; but, because of the large amounts of soluble salts they contain, applying vermicomposts at excessive concentrations may hinder plant growth. Thus, to achieve the most plant production, vermicomposts should be incorporated at moderate concentrations(Lim et al., 2015).
Conclusion:
This move towards natural alternatives is viewed as a crucial step towards sustainability and environmental conservation, as Nepal’s agriculture sector is heavily dependent on chemical fertilizers. To make our production healthier without biodiversity degradation, we need to choose alternatives like vermicomposting for nurturing our crops. The training initiative led by cooperatives in vermiculture has proved to be exemplary. The government should focus on doing more on providing these types of cost-effective sustainable methodologies for adaptation in our farming community for sustainability in agriculture which ensures food security. Vermicompost is an organic fertilizer that is necessary to maintain the overall development and production of organic crops as organic agriculture expands globally.
References:
Lim, S. L., Wu, T. Y., Lim, P. N., & Shak, K. P. Y. (2015). The use of vermicompost in organic farming: Overview, effects on soil and economics. Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 95(6), 1143–1156. https://doi.org/10.1002/jsfa.6849
Olle, M. (2019). Review: Vermicompost, its importance and benefit in agriculture. Agraarteadus, 30(2), 93–98. https://doi.org/10.15159/jas.19.19
Wachob, P., House, T., Of, F., On, A., Hill, M., & Amey, D. I. N. A. S. L. (2004). T He U Se of in the. Update, 2(2009), 2019. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=e095mww&AN=532124&site=ehost-live
