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Farmers worm their way in Gulbarga : The Deccan Herald
Farmers are taking to vermiculture in Kamalapur, about 40 km from here. The time-tested form of cultivation is attracting more and more farmers in the district. It is being spread under the programme SEASON (Sustainable Efforts in Agriculture to Strengthen Our Nature) which includes promotion of indigenous seeds, setting up of bio-intensive kitchen gardens and better land and water management practices. The programme is funded by the Swiss-based NGO, HEKS.
Farmers are taking to vermiculture in Kamalapur, about 40 km from here. The time-tested form of cultivation is attracting more and more farmers in the district. It is being spread under the programme SEASON (Sustainable Efforts in Agriculture to Strengthen Our Nature) which includes promotion of indigenous seeds, setting up of bio-intensive kitchen gardens and better land and water management practices. The programme is funded by the Swiss-based NGO, HEKS.
Revanasiddappa, who cultivates 15 acres of land taken on lease near Mahagao in Gulbarga taluk, is now a happy Dalit farmer after he switched over to vermiculture last year. He said he had got a much better yield while spending much less on inputs than he used to do earlier.
Another happy farmer was Siddanna of Kamalapur who found that there had been no pest attack on his crop after he switched over to vermiculture this year. The man behind the farmers’ happiness is Mr G N Rajshekhar Naidu, who heads Vidhya Liberation through Cultural Action, an NGO, and works among Dalits in rural areas of Gulbarga district. Even though vermiculture has been practised for several years now it is being actively adopted by the farmers in the district for the first time. While vermi-composite is used as fertiliser for the crops, vermi-wash is used as a pesticide. Except for earthworms, locally available materials are used to produce these. It is a very simple process. For the vermi-composite, a brick and concrete pit measuring 30 feet by three feet and having a depth of one-and-half feet is dug in the field itself. Later, a layer of sand, bio-mass, water and dry cow dung is formed. Another layer of waste is put on it. Then, about 1,500 earthworms, which have been cleared by the Agricultural University at Dharwad for their resistance to local climatic conditions are put in the pit. The composite is ready in three months.
Another farmer Shivaraya said he had tested the vermi-composite and found it more effective than chemical fertilisers. About 50 kg of vermi-composite was enough for an acre of land, he added. Within three months earthworms in the pit would proliferate by three-fold and they could be used in three separate pits. The preparation of the vermi-wash (pesticide) is also simple. About 5,000 earthworms are put in a container along with garbage and water. One-and-a-half litres of water should be poured into the container everyday. Later, this water is removed and sprayed on the crops.
Another happy farmer was Siddanna of Kamalapur who found that there had been no pest attack on his crop after he switched over to vermiculture this year. The man behind the farmers’ happiness is Mr G N Rajshekhar Naidu, who heads Vidhya Liberation through Cultural Action, an NGO, and works among Dalits in rural areas of Gulbarga district. Even though vermiculture has been practised for several years now it is being actively adopted by the farmers in the district for the first time. While vermi-composite is used as fertiliser for the crops, vermi-wash is used as a pesticide. Except for earthworms, locally available materials are used to produce these. It is a very simple process. For the vermi-composite, a brick and concrete pit measuring 30 feet by three feet and having a depth of one-and-half feet is dug in the field itself. Later, a layer of sand, bio-mass, water and dry cow dung is formed. Another layer of waste is put on it. Then, about 1,500 earthworms, which have been cleared by the Agricultural University at Dharwad for their resistance to local climatic conditions are put in the pit. The composite is ready in three months.
Another farmer Shivaraya said he had tested the vermi-composite and found it more effective than chemical fertilisers. About 50 kg of vermi-composite was enough for an acre of land, he added. Within three months earthworms in the pit would proliferate by three-fold and they could be used in three separate pits. The preparation of the vermi-wash (pesticide) is also simple. About 5,000 earthworms are put in a container along with garbage and water. One-and-a-half litres of water should be poured into the container everyday. Later, this water is removed and sprayed on the crops.