Earthworm Farming

Why 6 months? Because that is one real production cycle for earthworm farming. You study each month's material while your own operation (or your planning) goes through exactly that stage. By graduation you have either harvested/sold your first production or hold a complete, costed plan ready for funding.

Structure: 6 monthly modules → lessons → practical assignments → a 10-question quiz each month → final business project.

How to study (hybrid): Online — work through each month on your phone, log sessions in the Study Diary, ask the rAs AI assistant anything. Offline — save this page and do the practicals in the real world.

• Species: Eisenia foetida (tiger worms) vs Lumbricus terrestris
• Lifecycle: 7 weeks egg → adult (500 worms per kg)
• Market uses: fish bait, animal feed, fertiliser (vermicast)
• Climate: 15–25°C; outdoors or shade shelters
• Startup: 5kg of worms (25,000 worms) costs ~$50
• Calculate: 1kg of worms produces 200g of castings/week

• Bedding mix: coconut coir, leaf litter, compost (2:2:1)
• Moisture: 60–70% (squeeze test: 1–2 drops)
• Aeration: pile height 40–50cm; turn manually every 2 weeks
• Temperature monitoring; winter cover if frost likely
• Pest control: ants, millipedes, birds
• Calculate: 1 tonne of bedding feeds 500kg of worms for 2 months

• Feed: vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, cardboard, straw
• Never feed: meat, dairy, oils, diseased plants
• Feeding rate: 1kg of worms eats 1kg of waste per week
• Decomposition: 2–4 weeks until waste becomes castings
• Monitor: worm weight, casting colour (dark = mature)
• Calculate: 5kg worms + 30kg waste → 15kg castings + 4kg worms (growth)

• Cocoons: tiny, lemon-shaped, contain 1–20 babies each
• Harvest cocoons by hand; incubate separately (2–3 weeks)
• Population doubling time: 3–4 months at optimal conditions
• Sex: both male and female (hermaphrodites); all reproduce
• Breeding season: spring–autumn (slow in winter)
• Calculate: 5kg worms → 10kg in 3 months (ideal conditions)

• Hand-sorting method: sift bedding, remove worms manually
• Screen method: 10mm sieve separates worms from fine castings
• Drying: spread castings, air-dry to 30% moisture
• Storage: bags in dry place (vermicast stays potent 1+ year)
• Quality: dark brown, crumbly, earthy smell
• Calculate: 100kg of bedding → 30kg of dried castings

• Fish bait: live worms in cool boxes to pet/fishing shops
• Vermicast: 10kg bags to gardeners, farmers, nurseries
• Pricing: worms $15–20/kg; castings $5–8 per 10kg bag
• Direct sales: markets, social media, word-of-mouth
• Bulk orders: landscapers, agricultural inputs dealers
• Calculate: 5kg worms (bait) + 30kg castings/month = $250–400/month

• Build a worm bin (wooden box or recycled container) and stock it
• Track daily waste input and casting output for 4 weeks
• Separate cocoons and rear baby worms in isolation
• Dry and bag a sample of vermicast; test with customer

• 1-tonne worm farm: 5 bins, 25kg of worms, target customers
• Income: bait sales + vermicast; monthly profit projection
• Scaling: 10 tonnes by Year 2; hiring help

• Your national Department of Agriculture — technical guidance, regulations
• rAs AI Assistant — ask about anything in the course; available 24/7
• Local farmer groups (if available) — peer learning, market connections