In a corner of Beed, one of the worst drought-hit areas of Maharashtra, seven women are tapping the farmer’s oldest friend to provide a way out of annual agricultural losses and subsequent debts.Vermiculture is the newest buzzword among small and marginal local farmers. In the process, organic agriculture and soil regeneration are getting a thumbs up in the district.The leader of the hope ring—active in the Gavan, Darjiborgaon, Inderthana, Sanghvi and Andalgaon areas of Beed’s Renupur taluka—is banker-turned-farmer Asha Bhise. The 39-year-old Bhise, who works with Rukhmini Bhosale, Sadhana Mane, Pratibha Ekhe, Usha More, Kalpana Jadhav and Chandrakala Sarvade, took up popularising vermiculture after getting excellent results in her own farm.Once the farmers learn the ropes, says Bhise, they set up experimental vermicompost farms themselves. The end product either finds use in their own farms, or sells in the market—there is a huge demand for organic compost—for Rs 4-8 vermicompost venture has been selected by the state’s Agriculture department as a model for other farms. Apart from farmers, Bhise also trains officials of some municipal councils and zilla parishads in vermicomposting.A typical training session starts from the village square, where Bhise and her team discuss the merits of organic farming, with special focus on vermiculture.‘‘Once they realise how easy and cheap it is, they get enthusiastic about it. The beds do not require too much water, the leftover from washing utensils can be sprinkled on the earthworm beds,’’ says Bhise.The training sessions, which are free for farmers, encompass technical know-how of bed-laying, information on earthworms and their habitat, nourishment for the earthworms, nurturing of the beds to ensure maximum output of vermicompost and its use in their farms.‘‘Within 45 days of laying the beds, the farmers can harvest the manure. I help them procure earthworms from the Agriculture department at a competitive price. One breeder box of one kg cost Rs 800,’’ says Bhise.
