Quality Assessment of Farmer-Led Vermicompost Production in Semi-Arid Agroecosystems: Compliance with Global Standards

Abstract

This study evaluates the technical feasibility of decentralized vermicompost production by smallholder farmers within a structured rural development program. Conducted under the KOP-TEYAP initiative in Kırşehir Province, Türkiye, the research assesses whether farmers can consistently produce vermicompost that meets international quality standards following a participatory training and infrastructure support model. Fourteen farmers, selected through a merit-based process from 232 trainees, were provided with standardized production units. The produced vermicompost was analyzed for critical chemical parameters (pH, EC, organic matter, C:N ratio, K, Cu, Zn) and biological indicators (basal CO2 respiration, microbial biomass carbon) and benchmarked against regulations from the EU, France, Germany, Austria, Canada, India, and Türkiye. Results indicated that the majority of farmer-produced samples successfully met the critical thresholds for chemical quality and safety. Furthermore, biological maturity was confirmed by low basal respiration levels and high microbial biomass across the samples. These findings demonstrate that structured farmer training combined with standardized low-cost infrastructure enables smallholders to reliably produce high-quality vermicompost, validating this model as an effective agroecological strategy for rural development.