You don't need to be an early bird to catch these worms

A few years ago, Peter Kanyagia was an accountant at an insurance firm in the city.

After retiring, he decided to go hard on his hobby - farming. Things didn’t go as expected, he was struggling with low yields which he thought was as a result of the ordinary compost he was using on the farm.

The results were disappointing but he was determined to nurture his passion. One day in 2009, while researching on the Internet, Kanyagia saw an advert by Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) calling on farmers passionate about organic farming to enroll for a training offered at the institution.

Since then, his life has never been the same.

“I read about the training at JKUAT and because farming was not only a hobby but something I was passionate about, I decided to attend. We were taught different aspects of organic farming including how to breed worms,” he told Smart Harvest.

• .

  Keep Reading

• 
  Macadamia firm secures Sh387 million funding to expand capacity
• 
  How container cash deposits are creating a problem for Kenyan traders
• 
  Laikipia comes to life as locals warm up to value-addition in livestock farming
• 
  Samburu village reduces malnutrition through vegetable farming

He fell in love with the idea of rearing worms and from then on, he decided to try it. After the training, Kanyagia set up a vermiculture farm on his two-acre piece of land in Ruaka on Limuru road.

He started with 5kgs of earthworms known as EsiiaFetidia which he got from JKUAT.

He constructed a hatch using a semi circular drum and drilled holes on the sides to harvest the vermin liquid.

He says “the worms feed on kitchen waste, manure and organic matter. They also feed on weed and you have to cut it into small pieces. The good thing is they eat according to their weight and breed easily. They double in number after every two months.”

“The worms do not like being exposed to light and each egg takes around 20-30 days to hatch. Within three months they would have multiplied to fill a can. The worms need to stay in a moist place to survive. Before, I was using ordinary compost and I can attest that organic is far much better compared to non organic in terms of yields and even health wise. When I look back at how I started, I feel proud of myself. I started with 5kgs but today I ahve over 100kgs of worms and each kilogramme goes for Sh2,500.We package them in containers and we normally drill holes on the cover to provide breathing space.”

Apart from selling the worms, Kanyagia also offers training on vermiculture. He charges Sh2,500 per person. 

“I train students pursuing agriculture courses mainly from Embu University and groups of farmers who visit my farm regularly. I also export the worms to countries such as Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Somalia and Sierra Leone,” says Kanyagia, 68, an alumnus of the University of Nairobi.

When harvesting the vermiliquid, Kanyagia uses a hole drilled on the sides and underneath the semi circular drum. Every two weeks he harvests five litres from one and a half drum which carries over 10,000 worms.

“Vermi-liquid has a high demand and I sell a litre at Sh100. The system has to be flushed regularly to clean it and harvest the liquid which has all nutrients required to grow plants,” he adds.

Liquid gold

According to Kanyagia who also uses the vermiliquid on his farm, he isn’t close to meeting the demand for the liquid gold as more farmers continue to venture into organic farming. 

“Kenyans have become more health conscious, the demand for organic produce is on the rise. My spinach are a hot cake, I can’t even meet the demand. The advantage with worms is that they eat anything that can decompose, I cannot compare them with chicken, cattle or pigs. All I do is provide them with feed and water every two weeks,” he adds.

Kanyagia says many farmers have warmed up to vermiculture after realising the benefits that come with rearing worms. 

“The cost of breeding earthworms is minimal because they eat things considered waste and they multiply fast. This has aroused interest in organic farming and many people are starting to embrace this farming technique,” he says

The father of two says getting feed for the worms as well as safari ants are his major challenges.

“Safari ants are a big threat because they destroy systems,” he adds.

Bernard Guchu, also a farmer says “When I learnt about vermicompost, I stopped using agrochemicals and this has transformed my farm in terms of production. I don’t regret, the benefits are great.”