More with worms

Earthworms feed on decaying materials and digest them into humus and other usable forms of nutrients; they also improve soil structure. They are a good source of protein for chicken, fish and pigs. How about rearing earthworms, a science, by the way, known as vermiculture? James Kanyora brought this idea into practice at the Kenya Institute of Organic Farming (KIOF). You need an open drum or wooden box approximately 0.6 m deep, 1.5 m long and 1 m wide. In that box you mix: some topsoil with some earthworms; fresh dung or droppings (cattle, sheep, goats , rabbits or pigs ); dry materials, such as grass, and a little water. The mixture should not be too wet. However, water has to be used to wash out ammonium from the animal dung which is toxic for earthworms. You then cover the box with a suitable cover, such as a sack or sheet of black plastic, put it in the shade, and ensure that moist conditions prevail. The worms will multiply in two weeks. Harvest them by sieving with wire mesh. Use the worms as feed or to rear more stock.

Bibliographic Details

Main Author:	Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
Format:	News Item biblioteca
Language:	English
Published:	Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation 2000
Online Access:	https://hdl.handle.net/10568/46998 https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99592
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