A Farmers’ Synthesis on the Effects of Vermicomposts on Soil Properties

Abstract

AbstractSoil degradation is one of the major challenges affecting crop productivity across the world. However, the effects on productivity are more pronounced in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where the soils are highly susceptible to various forms degradation. Moreover, climate change exacerbates soil degradation, further exposing the SSA population to food insecurity. Whilst practices such as conservation agriculture (CA) can be employed to improve productivity, it is important to complement CA with technologies that organically contribute to soil fertility, such as vermicomposting. The objectives of this chapter were to examine the contribution of vermicompost to the improvement of soil chemical, biological and physical properties of degraded soils. Various studies carried out across the world showed that vermicompost can enhance soil biological, chemical and physical properties due to high levels of soil organic matter, nutrients and enzymes. Therefore, vermicompost can be a good approach to complement CA in places where soil organic matter and soil fertility are too low to support meaningful biomass production to enable residue retention in order to fulfil the three principles of CA. However, more research work needs to be done on the effects of vermicomposts on soil physical properties in SSA.KeywordsBiomass productionClimate changeSoil degradationSoil fertility