»Azolla farming Guide – Rich proteins feed for cattle and poultry |Part 2|«
Cow dung is one of the raw materials that is used in vermiculture. Once worms are introduced into the system, you will be able to get the end product after a few days which is compost.
Vermiculture system is used to raise worms for vermicomposting and selling or used as chicken feed. Items used as manure are plant remains and fruit waste. Worms break down these waste within a period of 45-60 days before the material can be sieved. Filtering of bed material is done using sieves so as to obtain fine compost and separate it from the eggs of the worms so that the eggs can be returned to the system.
Ideal conditions
Worms mostly like a cool environment where the bed structure is moist but not wet so that they can be able to feed and break down the raw material for ease of harvesting. Ideal conditions for worms is temperatures between 15-25°C. The worms should not be fed on acidic materials too.
It is important to note that vermi-compost has high demand because it reverts the negative effects of using synthetic fertilizers since its use makes soil to be more productive.
Harvesting and market
If compost harvested is not dry, it can be dried up under protected conditions with a slightly shaded structure to protect it from the sun at a certain percentage. This is done so that nutrients from the compost harvested are not lost.
The biggest market for compost is organic farmers then seedling propagators and balcony farmers. The price of compost is about 70 Kenya Shillings/ Kg.
Other diversification
Vermi-composting opens up other areas like production of azolla for animals like pigs and also working with black soldier fly. It impacts the society through creating employment opportunities to work under the vermi-composting system.
