Vermiculture is a very interesting agricultural activity, of great ecological value because it allows the reuse of waste, which becomes a valuable resource for agriculture.
From the point of view of organic farming, the possibility of producing humus, the perfect natural fertilizer for any type of crop and ideal soil conditioner, is particularly interesting.
There can be two reasons for having earthworms: you can do it to produce your own humus for your own use in the garden, so as a leisure activity, but also for income.
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What it takes to raise earthworms
vermiculture is an activity accessible to all , you can start with a few hundred euros and a space of 5/10 square meters, without special tools. a shovel, a pitchfork and a wheelbarrow can be enough, or with an investment of 2000/5000 euros it can start to become a job.
A worm farm does not require a license only a flat ground is necessary to install the litter, which adapts perfectly to the open air . Earthworms do not have special climatic requirements, they are not afraid of cold and heat, so protective structures are not needed.
Earthworms feed on garden waste and vegetables. (grass clippings, leaves, vegetable waste), kitchen waste (wet) and manure. Simply put the waste in a pile, let it decompose a little until it reaches a state of putrefaction that makes it ideal for worm food. Feeding earthworms three times a month is the only remedy needed.
Why the earthworm
Thanks to the breeding of earthworms, it is possible get valuable humus useful for maintaining soil fertility, as a soil amendment and for fertilizing vegetable gardens and potted plants.
Soil obtained from earthworms can be sold, used in the organic garden or on the farm, earthworms can also be sold as fishing bait or fed to farm animals.
Therefore, you can grow earthworms in your own garden in order to get rid of moisture and cut the grass and turn it into natural compost (1-2 square meters may be enough), but also do it for work , within a farm or as an independent business, focused on the sale of humus and worms. To get into this last point, I advise you to read the article dedicated to the costs and income of earthworms.
For the writing of this article, we asked the opinion of Compagnoni Vermiculture , a company based in Mandello del Lario (LC) with thirty years of experience in the sector, we suggest you contact them for any questions regarding this interesting activity. Lombricoltura Compagnoni has 30,000 square meters of farms as well as several factories in collaboration throughout Italy, as well as a company in the Spanish market, collaborates with agricultural research institutes and universities in experiments on the use of humus and earthworms, sells Lombrichi in Europe, Argentina and North Africa. It also deals with the treatment of sludge, greenery, forsu, manure, agro-industrial waste with earthworms.