The act of putting in arduous labour and hard work to plant seeds and help to grow edible plants on a large scale is what we call farming. It raises livestock, animals for meat or milk and other necessary items for our daily consumption.
There are different farming.
●Subsistence Farming is described as a type of farming for essentially satisfying family needs and demands.
●Home Farming refers to terrace farming and gardening.
●Last, Commercial Farming. From the word commercial itself, we can identify that it’s basically and perpetually related to marketing and sales. The various crops are grown primarily to get sales in the market. It feeds people by supplying large amounts of crops in the market and hence; the wholesalers get a handsome amount of surplus.
Similarly, we get acquainted with another type of method in farming which is known as Vermicomposting. It is known as composting that primarily involves worms, food waste. In short, it is the breakdown of organic matter for the formation of compost. So that this can be used in agricultural practices.
Earthworm plays a vital role in Vermicomposting as it acts as one of the best soil conditioners for nourishment and support. They are used in small scale organic farms in the functioning of sewage sludge and oxygen demand.
Types of earthworm used in Vermicomposting
Earthworm provides a qualitative factor for the soil as it recycles the life form of bedding materials, red worms, white worms into humus.
The earthworms used in Vermicomposting are :
■Endogeic – It has exceptional characteristics of burrowing. They use it to create a burrow horizontally and feed the material present inside the surface of the soul.
■Compost – The name itself suggests the earthworms are decomposed in a tiny matter and found in a compost pit. The earthworms usually dwell in warm and humid climate conditions.
■Epigeic – These earthworms usually stay on the topmost layer of the soil. They used to feed themselves on soil fitter. However, they are tiny creatures and do not contain stripes that other earthworms do.
■Anecic – These earthworms are just the extreme opposite of Endogeic because they are vertical burrowers and feed on the litter of the soil. They can be found in the upper layer of the soil. These earthworms are mostly found in terrace farming and grasslands.
Use of Vermiculture
¤Improves the quality of land
¤Increases soil fertilizer
¤To overcome soil depletion Vermicomposting has been developed which is helped by the Earthworm Inoculation Unit (EIU).
¤Use for fish feeding, as Vermicomposting is rich in protein, minerals and other essential nutrients.
¤May alter the PH level of water.
¤Plants are mostly benefited because of Vermicomposting as it is a highly rich nutrient fertilizer and manure that helps in the growth of many plants.
¤Henceforth, Vermicomposting is an extremely eco-friendly and non-toxic source of farming.
¤Can be used for home gardening and organic farming.
Importance of Vermicomposting
☆Food waste plays a vital role in Vermicomposting as it converts organic waste into vermicompost.
☆It increases the number of rice stalks and they grow multiple in numbers.
