REPORT OF

EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING PROGRAMME(ELP)

ON
VERMICOMPOST-PRODUCTION AND
PRACTICES(AGR409)

SUBMITTED IN PARTAL FULFILLMENT OF THE

REQUIREMENT FOR
THE DEGREE OFBACHELOR OF SCIENCE(HONS.) IN
AGRICULTURE

SUBMITTED BY – MONURANJAN
SAIKIA
REG NO. – 12001275

UNDER SUPERVISION OF – DR. DHANSHREE BHARAT

JADHAV

SCHOOL OF AGRICULTURE, LOVELY PROFESSIONAL

UNIVERSITY
PHAGWARA-144401, PUNJAB, INDIA
2024
INTRODUCTION OF ELP:-

The Student READY (Rural Entrepreneurship Awareness Development Yojna)

program places significant emphasis on ELP (Experiential Learning Programme).
This integral component is designed to foster the development of professional
skills and knowledge through practical hand son experiences. It seeks to instil
confidence and the ability to collaborate effectively within a team, while also
equipping students with the essential capabilities for managing enterprises. The
goal is to empower the younger generation to emerge as successful entrepreneurs.
This program actively engages students in activities that promote critical
thinking, problem solving, and decision-making in contexts that hold personal
significance for them. It encourages a learning approach that includes creating
opportunities for postexperience reflection, feedback, and the application of
acquired knowledge and skills to novel situations. Experiential learning,
essentially, is a process of learning by doing, where students learn through
thoughtful reflection on their practical experiences. While hands-on learning or
training can incorporate aspects of experiential learning, it may not necessarily
involve students reflecting on their role, which tends to be relatively passive.
Objectives of ELP:
1. The participants are eager to be actively involved in the experience.
2. The participants demonstrate the ability to reflect on their experiences.
3. The participants possess and utilize analytical skills to conceptualize the
experience.
4. The participants exhibit decision-making and problem-solving skills to
effectively apply new ideas gained from the experience.
5. To develop guidelines for teaching through experiential approaches.
6. To relate experiential learning to education for sustainable futures.
Objective of Vermicomposting:
1. To learn the basics of vermicompost production and practices.
2. To enable the students to produce nutrient rich vermicompost from the
available farm waste.
3. To understand different methods of vermicomposting and different species
of earthworms.
4. To build capacity for exploring entrepreneurship/business opportunities
from the skill.
Introduction to Vermicompost:
Vermicomposting is manufacturing and generating organic
manure with the use of earthworms, who act as the consumer
of the organic matter and excrete castings, that is of higher
quality when compared with other inorganic manure. Vermi-
composting, or composting with earthworms, is an excellent
technique for recycling food waste in the apartment as well as
composting yard wastes in the backyard. Vermicomposting has
the added advantage of allowing you to create compost round
the year, indoors during the winter and outdoors during the
summer.
The Earthworms:
Earthworms are tubular, segmented, bristle bearing worms
contributing to the biomass of soil invertebrates. They are
called biological indicators of soil fertility. They are
supportive for keeping healthy populations of bacteria, fungi,
actinomycetes, protozoans, insects, spiders, millipedes, and
many other organisms present in soil.

Species used in Vermicomposting

In India, two species are being extensively used for

vermiculture namely Eisenia fetida and Eudrilus eugeniae are
being extensively used, reason being their inbuilt adaptability
to climatic conditions per existing distributional range, local
availability and in view of needs for better waste conversion etc
Eisenia fetida:
Commonly called red wriggler, red worm, tiger worm,
vermicomposting worm etc., the Eisenia fetida have clitellum
that spreads over 7-9 segments in length from 24th to 32nd
segment.
They appear coloured (red, brown, or purple or even darker).
The average conversion efficiency ranges up to 7mg/worm
/day. Mature adults can attain up to 1.5 gm body weight and
attain reproduction capacity within 50-55 days of hatching
from cocoon.
Why Eisenia fetida?
Eisenia fetida is the mostly widely used earthworm in Verm
technology for vermicomposting due to their hardy nature and
easier culturing process. They have a high multiplication rate
and thereby converts the organic matter into vermicompost unit
in 45-50 days. Since it is a surface feeder it converts organic
materials into vermicompost from top.
Do’s & Don’ts:

Do’s Don’t
Pumpkin Citrus fruits
Crushed eggshells Salty or oily foods

Banana peels , tea leaves Onion and garlics

Fruit and vegetables detritus Meat or dairy products

Materials & Methods:
The materials used for the vermicomposting:
o Cow dung
o Gloves
o Rose
o ShovelsRaks
o Gunny bags
o Sieve
o Buckets
o Psychrometer
o SoilThermometer
o SealingMachine
o Polythene
Types of methods-

1. Pit Method:
In this method, the organic matter is collected in cemented
pits. There are a total of 12 pits in the vermicompost unit. The
pits are made up of bricks and cement. The dimensions of the
pit are (20 feet x 3 feet x1.6 feet).
2. Heap Method:

HDPE grow bags are made from strong woven high density
polyethylene material which ensures greater strength,
waterproofing, higher tear and puncture resistance, resistance
to mould etc. HDPE grow bags have full UV protection
against the sun for a longer life and thus are highly durable.
The bags used in our unit are of dimensions (11.7 feet x 4 feet
x 1.1 feet).
3. Heap Method:

It is a method of aerobic composting that involves mixing

waste materials and partially decomposed dung into heaps.
The heap in our unit is of the dimensions (12 feet x 4 feet x
1.5 feet)
DAILY / WEEKLY ACTIVITY
Date – 11/03/24
Activity –
• Turn over the partial decomposed vermicompost pit.
• Made the slurry of fresh cow dung.

Date – 13/03/24
Activity –
• Collection of cowdung and mixing it with water for making slurry.
• Then mixing slurry and applied it on pit.
Date – 15/03/24
Activity –
• Slurry making
• Mixing of slurry and spreading it on vermicompost pit.
• Watering the vermicompost pit.
Date – 18/03/24
Activity –
• Cleaning of pit and removing the earthworms then collecting them together and
put them in other pits.
• Sieving of vermicompost.

Date – 19/03/24
Activity –
• Collection of earthworm and sieving of vermicompost.
Date – 21/03/24
Activity –
• Cleaning and levelling the nearby area of vermicompost pit.
• Making slurry and spreading it in HDPE vermicompost pit.

Date – 22/03/24
Activity –
• Sieving of vermicompost.
Date – 25/03/24
Activity –
• Turning of cowdung and making slurry of it.

Date – 26/03/24
Activity –
• Collection
of
cowdung
and
making
slurry of
it.
Date – 27/03/24
Activity –
• Making of slurry
• Making holes in vermi pit and adding cowdung slurry in it.

Date – 28/03/24
Activity –
• Collection of cowdung and making slurry of it.
Date – 01/04/24
Activity –
• Collection of cowdung and making slurry of it.
Date – 02/04/24
Activity –
• Collection of cowdungs from dairy farms.
• Prepared another batch of dung by watering and mixing evenly. Left the
dung for further mixing and decomposition.
• Making slurry.

Date – 03/04/24
Activity –
Date – 04/04/24
Activity –
• Collection of cowdung and making slurry of it.

Date – 05/04/24
Activity –
• Turning of cowdung and making slurry of it.
Date – 08/04/24
Activity –
• Turning of cowdung and making slurry of it.

Date – 09/04/24
Activity –
• Turning of cowdung.
Date – 11/04/24
Activity –
• Turning of cowdungs.
• Provide fresh batch of dung to the earthworms to feed on it.
 Date – 15/04/24
Activity –
• Turn the dung for further decomposition.
• Watering the pits.

Date – 16/04/24
Activity –
• Turn the dungs for further decomposition.
• Making of vermiwash structure.
Date – 17/04/24
Activity –
• Turn the previous batch of dung for further decomposition.
 Date – 19/04/24
Activity –
• Cleaning of vermicompost unit area.

Date – 22/04/24
Activity –
• Turning of cowdungs and making slurry of it.
Date – 23/04/24
Activity –
• Turning of cowdung and making slurry of it.

Date – 25/04/24
Activity –
• Sieving of vermicompost.
Date – 26/04/24
Activity –
• Collection of earthworm and putting them in the pits.

Date – 29/04/24
Activity –
• Mixing of cowdungs.
Date – 30/04/24

• Collection of cowdung and making slurry.