“Somriddho” Vermicompost.

iFarmer Limited

“Somriddho” Vermicompost.

“Somriddho” vermicompost an eco-friendly alternative solution of chemical fertilizers

Dhaka, Bangladesh

BGD

For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

As the world’s population grows, we need to produce more food. This puts pressure on farmers to grow more crops. To achieve higher yields, many farmers rely heavily on chemical fertilizers. However, overuse of these fertilizers can harm the environment. It can degrade soil health by reducing its nutrients and making the soil less fertile over time. So, farming must become sustainable and environment friendly to protect the land for future generations. One way to make farming more sustainable is by partially replacing chemical fertilizers with organic alternatives. A balanced approach—reducing the amount of chemical fertilizer in proportion to the organic fertilizer applied—can improve soil health while maintaining crop productivity. However, one big challenge is dealing with organic waste. Collecting, transporting, and managing produce waste at scale is logistically difficult, inefficient, and often economically unviable for farmers. To overcome this barrier, there is a pressing need for localized conversion of organic waste at the point of origin. This means transforming it into value-added products such as organic fertilizers. This not only simplifies handling and logistics. By enabling decentralized scaling, such a solution can empower local communities. It can reduce dependency on chemical fertilizers thus enhancing soil health.

To address the challenge of managing organic waste and reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers, a practical and sustainable solution is to promote localized vermicomposting at the farm level. Vermicomposting is an eco-friendly technique. It uses earthworms to convert organic waste—such as cow dung and crop residues—into nutrient-rich compost. This organic fertilizer improves soil health by restoring organic matter. It boosts microbial activity. It increases the availability of essential nutrients of soil. The proposed solution focuses on implementing vermicompost directly at the source of waste generation. This localized conversion simplifies logistics. It avoids high transportation costs. It generates value-added products. These products can be used on the farm. They can also be sold commercially. Vermicomposting also presents a significant opportunity to create jobs, especially for female farmers. It also enables a community based composting process i.e a common point where farmers can dump their organic wastes. It offers training and support to establish small-scale composting units. These units require minimal infrastructure—such as crates or pits. They can produce 10–12 kg of compost per cycle in just 45–50 days (FAO, 2020; CGIAR, 2024). This approach empowers farmers. It enhances soil fertility. It promotes sustainable agriculture by reducing dependency on chemical fertilizers.

iFarmer’s target customers are the 16.5 million smallholder farmers residing across remote areas of Bangladesh. *Smallholder - Smallholders refer to those farmers who hold small sizes of land. In Bangladesh, farm households owning or operating farm sizes of 5 decimals to 249 decimals are called smallholders (Smallholders need intensive care, 2020). The solution will positively impact farmers' lives in several ways. By introducing vermicomposting, it allows farmers—especially female farmers—to earn additional income by producing and selling organic fertilizer. This creates new livelihood opportunities at the community level. The use of vermicompost also improves soil health and biodiversity, leading to better crop yields and more sustainable farming. As farmers reduce their dependence on chemical fertilizers, it helps lower farming costs, while also reducing chemical runoff that pollutes water sources. Additionally, the practice of vermicomposting contributes to the carbon sequestration, helping farmers adapt to and mitigate the effects of climate change. Overall, the solution improves farmers' income, strengthens environmental sustainability, and enhances resilience in rural communities.