Int.J.Curr.Res.Aca.Rev.2015; 3(1): 343-347 International Journal of Current Research and Academic Review ISSN: 2347-3215 Volume 3 Number 1 (January -2015) pp. 343-347 www.ijcrar.com Farmers of Central part of India turned to adopt vermicomposting for organic farming in villages of Aligarh district, Uttar Pradesh and Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India Shweta Yadav* Department of Zoology, Dr H S Gour Vishwavidalaya, (A Central University), Sagar-470003, MP, India *Corresponding author KEY WORDS ABSTRACT Organic farming, Vermicomposting activity was implemented successfully in many villages of vermicomposting, Aligarh District of Uttar Pradesh in India with the assistance of the chemical fertilizer, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. A regular farmer’s meet biofertilizers, was organized for creation of awareness on the production and application of rural vermiculture as well as establishment of entrepreneurship among the rural people. The project implemented with the technical assistance of leadership entrepreneurship. of author in five panchayat blocks namely Lodha, Jawa, Khair, Tappal and Dhanipur. With the implementation of this project in all six blocks of Aligarh District, 6284 compost units have been established for the benefit of SC/ST, women and farmers. Similarly, farmers of village Parvalia Sadak Phanda development block of Bhopal district also turned to adopt vermicomposting for organic farming. The cost of single unit varies between US$ 75-250 and it can be easily affordable by the farmers’ as stated by the beneficiaries. Introduction considerably. The permanent and cheapest In underdeveloped countries, green solution to overcome the dangerous effects revolution has resulted in boosting the of modernized agriculture is to develop a production due to intensive agriculture. farming system which is economically Although it has resulted good harvests and productive and long-lasting is sustainable productivity by reaping three crops in a year farming/natural farming by simple and with good irrigation facilities, there was no inexpensive vermibiotechnology. Thus the thought about its adverse impact in the long old agricultural system/biological/organic/ run on the soil conditions and the ecological/regenerative/natural/biodynamic/l environment, particularly during the last ow input agriculture are the need of the four decades. With the extensive use of hour. Vermi-biotechnology is an chemical fertilizer and improper irrigation, ecofriendly, socially sound and productivity of the soil is getting reduced 343 Int.J.Curr.Res.Aca.Rev.2015; 3(1): 343-347 economically viable innovative type of conditioning, pH of soil and triggers soil technology to manage the organic waste biological activities and improves soil resources on low capital input basis, which productivity in subsequent years. does not call for expensive laboratories or sophisticated industrial instruments. It can Case Study of Farmers of Uttar Pradesh provide employment to millions of youth, can eliminate the dependence on chemical; Vermicomposting activity was implemented can convert wastes into fertilizers; can bring successfully in many villages of Aligarh waste-land under cultivation, can feed District of Uttar Pradesh in India with the hungry citizens and can make a country assistance of the Department of green and prosperous in a span of just a few Biotechnology, Government of India. A years. regular farmer’s meet was organized for creation of awareness on the production and Vemicomposting Techniques Adopted by application of vermiculture as well as Farmers establishment of entrepreneurship among the It is basically composting with earthworms rural people. The project implemented with (Eisenia foetida; Eudrilus eugeniae; the technical assistance of Vermiculture Perionyx excavatus) in native all organic Research Station, Dharma Samaj College, matters eventually decomposes. It can be Aligarh (UP) in five panchayat blocks done virtually anywhere either indoor or namely Lodha, Jawa, Khair, Tappal and outdoor conditions. Organic wastes used for Dhanipur. composting are animal dung (cattle dung, sheep dung, horse dung, goat dung and In the Barola Hagi village of Lodha block poultry droppings), agricultural waste (after (about 20 kms away from the city), a harvesting and threshing of the produce), cooperative society of SC/ST people have forestry wastes (wood-sawings, peels cattle but not much agricultural land and sawdust and pulp), city leaf litter (mango, managing a vermiculture unit with around guava, oranges etc, from residential areas) more than hundred vermicomposting beds. and paper and cotton clothes (if are not Most of its vermicompost is being sold in being recycled for other useful products, can local market or to near town US$ 50 per be recycled with this technology) etc. tonne. The society is actively associated in collecting and selling the vermicompost Usually 2 kg of earthworm recycled 1 kg of produce and earned more than US$ 5000 organic wastes in 24 hrs in absolutely ideal during last two years. conditions of comfort and group up. Moist food, the herd recycled their own weight in In Rajpur village of Tappal Block, a waste in every 24 hours. progressive farmer is producing the vermicompost in bulk and applying upto 50- 60 mt per month in the fields of paddy and Vermicomposting is simple and no special vegetable crops.More than hundred farmers training is required. It can be started with of Aligarh District have applied very low startup cost and can be done with vermicompost in their fields and are not available infrastructure and space and has no only saving upto fifty per cent of chemical turning or odour. The earthworms perform fertilizer but also got 10-15% more yield. all processing naturally and resulting product provides stable organic matter, According to the farmers’ self-assessment which causes moisture and improves soil through their farming, vermicompost is 4-5 344 Int.J.Curr.Res.Aca.Rev.2015; 3(1): 343-347 times more effective than the conventional congenial climatic conditions and required compost and has developed competition manpower. among the farmers to produce more and more through vermicomposting. Case Study of Farmers of Madhya Pradesh A progressive farmer of Khushal Gari village, Atrauli Block owns a nursery of The story of an organic farmer Shri horticulture plants and has earned an income Manohar Patidar resident of village Parvalia of around US$ 2500 through production and Sadak in Phanda development block of sell of earthworms and vermicompost Bhopal district.has carved out a distinct besides meeting his own nursery image through continuous involvement in requirements. agriculture development activities.. He was felicitated by Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Also experimented the use of vermicompost Narendra Modi for organic wheat in grafting of horticulture plants and production at large scale in 2015.. Patidar, observed a major change in accelerating the had shifted to chemical-free organic farming rooting of grafted plants. in the year 2000. He achieved 98 quintal and 880 gram of wheat from one hectare Some of the enterprising graduate students land during 2014-2015 through organic have established their own units, which measures and prior to that his production enable them to meet their contingency had reached 75 quintal per hectare. The requirements. Realizing the success of this organic ways bring about drastic decline in programme, rural banks of district authority agri-production cost and the input cost is have come forward to associate themselves slashed by almost half. Patidar revealed that to the rural community to work for the last year his average production of wheat per technology dissemination and to encourage hectare from chemical farming was only 68 more and more farmers to adopt quintal. Saying that organic farming helps in vermicomposting. keeping the health of the soil intact and offers safe produce, Patidar is also Self help group approach is developing in a encouraging farmers of nearby area for major way in vermicomposting in all the organic farming. He has formed a group of blocks of Aligarh District and village 25 local farmers in his village, and trained banking institutions are highly impressed for chemical-free farming. His endeavours with the micro-credit system established by are not going unnoticed as farmers and the village community. Good linkages have research scholars usually visited his organic been developed in the village cluster for farms from far-flung places. Author with co- marking the worms and compost produced workers visited his organic farm during through cooperative building and self help 2014-2015 for sharing experience of groups. vermicomposting. Trained beneficiaries are being financed for According to organic farmers required the establishment of vermicompost units and marketing facilities for the organic produce vermiculture to propagate the activity in the are missing and hoped that state government village at large scale. This approach would would soon implement its announcement of help in developing a biovillage cluster. The establishing dedicated kiosks at grain market country has no dearth for organic wastes, for the procurement of organic food grain. Farmers of the area lauded the organic 345 Int.J.Curr.Res.Aca.Rev.2015; 3(1): 343-347 farming with theuse of vermicompost as assessment through their farming, component of organic farming. Presently vermicompost is 4-5 times more effective farmers have reduced 50 % application of than the conventional compost