Vermicompost reviving soil quality

Shykh Seraj learns from a rural Bangladeshi farmer what vermicompost is all about. PHOTO: Aditya Shaheen

Organic farming is becoming more and more significant in respect of soil and production quality and in ensuring a better, sustainable and a healthy life for all. Vermicompost is an excellent, nutrient-rich organic fertilizer and soil conditioner.
Vermicomposting has the scope for an individual, a family and even a community to be involved and better their lives. Hridoye Mati O Manush's new initiative, 'Grow Green' is reemphasizing the value of bringing back the soil quality. 2014 has been announced (by the UNFAO) as the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF) that aims to raise the profile of family farming and smallholder farming by focusing world attention on its significant role in eradicating hunger and poverty, providing food security and nutrition, improving livelihoods, managing natural resources, protecting the environment, and achieving sustainable development. At this outset, vermicomposting can unite families and communities to make them financially stable and produce what is best in order to revive the soil from overloaded chemical fertilizers.       
Since Bangladesh has a mammoth population, the farmers had to farm HYV rice and other diversified crops, and varied harmful chemicals were used in the process which degraded the quality of the soil.
Vermicompost can bring back the purity of the soil. An individual, a family or even a community can make the organic fertilizer themselves, spending only an hour or two from their regular work. Moreover, if they produce in plenty, they can also create a market for their product.
Few years back, Hridoye Mati O Manush featured a private vermicompost project, built by Shafiur from Comilla's Burichang. Many farmers were inspired watching another episode on vermicompost, spread by Selina Jahan in Shoikarchar, situated in Narsingdi's Sivpur upazila. She was awarded the Channel i Agriculture Award for her remarkable contribution in promoting organic farming. We captured the village of Maheshwarchanda, situated in Jhenaidah's Kaliganj upazila. Rural people know the usefulness of vermicompost and its commercial significance.  If you enter Fulpur upazila, you would hear many stories of vermicompost. I spoke to a farmer from Bakta.  
“I produced really well with vermicompost. There is barely any pest attack. We use very little pesticide. The produce is also good for health”, said another farmer.  
 We went to the home of a marginal farmer, Abdul Mannan in Bakta village. His wife Fatema Begum is the producer of vermicompost. Destitute Fatema changed the fate of her family within two and half years producing vermicompost.
“I went to a training where I learnt about vermicompost. They gave me 150 earthworms with a Chari (earthen pot). This was all I had started with.”
She kept on working hard and soon got 16 maunds of vermicompost in a month. Now, Fatema has 13 earthen pots from which she can get 35 maunds of organic fertilizer selling each maund at Tk. 400.
I could see with my own eyes the colour of paddies where organic fertilizer was used. And, the one where chemical fertilizer was used. The organic one looked comparatively fresher and greener. Local farmers can easily guess the presence of organic matter on soil following the movements of the earthworms.    
Vermicompost has spread across the homes in Bakta. The women of the cooperative has understood that if you can protect the soil, the soil would also take care of your family. Ozifa Begum is another successful entrepreneur.  
“Two years back, I didn't have anything. My husband was a van driver. That was the only source of income. Now, I have bought four katha lands.”
These women are doing two things. First they are becoming financially stable through commercial vermicompost production and people who buy from them and second, they can use it later to make the soil more fertile and make farming more environment friendly. This is addressing an urgent need of our farming sector. More importantly, one woman is replicating another's work, and thus vermicomposting is spreading from one village to the other. Nurjahan is another successful entrepreneur who could help her family in many ways.  
“What is your income now?”
“I can easily bear education costs for my four children. One of my sons attended SSC exam this year. He got a Golden A+.”

Healthy crop land and soil health are keys to sustainable farming and food security. In different parts of the country, through entrepreneurs, farmers and development organizations, the concept of production and use of organic fertilizer is spreading quite fast. To take this initiative ahead, development organizations should come forward. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) should run campaigns on organic fertilizer among farming communities. With all our efforts, the soil's fertility can definitely be restored. This is our unified objective. In that expectation, we call on all farmers to, 'Grow Green'. 

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