More with worms

Thumbnail
Authors
Date Issued
2000
Language
en
Type
News Item
Accessibility
Open Access
Metadata
Show full item record
Share

Citation
CTA. 2000. More with worms. Spore 90. CTA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Permanent link to cite or share this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/46998
External link to download this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99592
Abstract/Description
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...
Notes
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.
Subjects
LIVESTOCK;
Organizations Affiliated to the Authors
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
Collections