LAND AND WATER DISCUSSION PAPER 2
LAND AND WATER DISCUSSION PAPER 2

On-Farm Composting Methods

  by
R.V. Misra
FAO Consultant
R.N. Roy
FAO Land and Water Development Division
Rome
and
H. Hiraoka
FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
Bangkok
   
  FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS
Rome, 2003
   
 
Table of Contents

The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

ISSN 1729-0554

All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Applications for such permission should be addressed to:

Chief
Publishing Management Service
Information Division
FAO
Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy
or by e-mail to:
[email protected]

© FAO 2003


Table of Contents


Acknowledgements

Preface

Acronyms

Executive summary

1. Composting process and techniques

Types of composting
The aerobic composting process
Factors affecting aerobic composting

Aeration
Moisture
Nutrients
Temperature
Lignin content
Polyphenols
pH value

Techniques for effective aerobic composting

Improved aeration
Inoculation
Supplemental nutrition
Shredding
Other measures

2. Small-scale composting

Traditional methods

Anaerobic composting
Aerobic composting through passive aeration

Rapid methods

Aerobic high temperature composting
Aerobic high temperature composting with inoculation
IBS rapid composting

Compost enrichment

3. Large-scale composting

Wind-row composting

Turned wind-rows
Passively aerated wind-rows
Aerated static pile

In-vessel composting

Bin composting
Passively aerated bin composting of municipal waste in Phnom Penh
Rectangular agitated beds
Silos
Rotating drums
Transportable containers

4. Vermicomposting

Types of worms
Case studies

Vermicomposting in the Philippines
Vermicomposting in Cuba
Vermiculture in India

Enhancing vermicompost production
Integrating traditional composting and vermicomposting

References

FAO technical papers

Back Cover


How to Order