griculture
is the primary occupation for more than 70% of India’s population. Use
of chemical fertilisers to increase crop productivity not only degrades
the soil quality but also leads to several types of health hazards.
Organic farming is the key to achieving agricultural sustainability.
Vermi-composting is one of the most important components of organic
farming and a remunerative enterprise for the farmers. In nature, all
organic matter eventually decomposes but during the process of making
vermi-compost the decomposition process is fast which results in a
worthwhile end product i.e. vermi-compost. Commercial vermi-composting
includes rearing of earthworms and production of earth worms casts.
These earthworms keep multiplying so an entrepreneur does not need to
invest in buying them again and again.
Vermi-compost unit in Orchha, Bundelkhand![](images/Vermi-compost.jpg)
In 2014, with support from Development Alternatives,
this initiative to create wealth from waste was taken up in Bundelkhand
by a women’s federation – Sankalp Swashakti Mahila Mandal. They started
producing vermi-compost by demonstrating a low cost technology in the
form of tetra vermi bed. These beds are low cost, require very little
space and produce good quality organic manure which can be used anywhere
from farm lands to nurseries and private gardens. As the only raw
material used is animal or agriculture waste, there is very little
investment cost resulting in high profit margins. Members of the women’s
federation have been trained to produce the vermi-compost and are also
engaged in value chain development i.e. production and marketing of
their product.
In the villages, as women are usually involved in
activities of animal husbandry during their daily work, running a
vermi-compost unit becomes a complementary activity transforming their
daily non-paying work into a profit making green enterprise. The women’s
federation produces 500 quintals of vermi-compost in one cycle of 45-60
days and makes a profit of Rs. 2, 00,000. This compost is bought by
various orchard farmers for their guava, amla (gooseberry) and mango
plantations, nursery owners and women vegetable farmers around Orchha
resulting in an increased and good quality production of fruits and
vegetables. This low cost model of income generation solves the dual
purpose of boosting the rural economy as well as promoting sustainable
food production in various fruit and vegetable plantations around Orchha.
Vermi-composting has a huge potential to meet the
increasing demand of food worldwide which is produced organically. As a
green rural enterprise, it is easy to start as it needs nothing from
outside except the earthworms for the beginners.
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