**4. Preparation methods**

Earthworms are often termed as "Bio-engineers" because of their unique ability to convert organic wastes into dark brown nutrient rich compost materials. We use these worms along with some easy-available inputs to produce the vermicompost. In South-Asian countries like India, we often see market price of the vermicompost is very low, which is attributed to the low-cost inputs of this compost. This vermicompost can be prepared in various techniques, among all those two most common methods are: bed and pit methods.

Bed method is easy to prepare and maintain throughout the process as here composting is done on pucca or kachcha floor by making the bed with organic materials like hay, straw, corn silage, etc.

*Vermicomposting: A Step towards Sustainability DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.102641*

**Figure 6.** *Bed method.*

**Figure 7.** *Pit method.*

**Figure 8.** *Spraying of water in bed.*

**Figure 9.** *Adult worms in compost.*

Pit method is comparatively strenuous process where composting is done on cemented pits of approx. The unit is covered with grass or any other organic mixtures (**Figures 6**–**10**).

**Figure 10.** *Fully prepared vermicompost.*
