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AGRICULTURE REPORT - October 15, 2002: Composting - 2002-10-15

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Many farmers around the world are composting to improve their soil so they can produce better crops. Composting is mixing plant or animal wastes so they break down and produce simpler substances.

Farmers add compost to their soils instead of burning plant and animal wastes or throwing them away. Compost is an example of a natural organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizers help make soils rich so that they produce more crops for a longer time.


After the growing season ends, many parts of the plant die. Farmers gather a large amount of dead plant materials into small hills called compost piles. They may add animal wastes.

They must add water so the materials will break down or decay. Soon the plants are attacked by insects and organisms, including worms and bacteria. Oxygen helps the organisms change the plant materials more quickly. The plants decay into a mixture that can be spread on farmland where crops are growing. The compost returns needed nutrients to the soil.

Some rules need to be followed to produce the best quality compost. Good compost piles need water to speed the process of decay. Yet the piles should not be too wet or the plant material will be ruined. The temperature of the compost pile should not be too high or too low. The best temperature for a compost pile is between 30 degrees and 37 degrees Celsius. You can turn the pile over and over to help cool the material. Turning the compost pile over adds more oxygen to the mixture. This helps it decay.

Sometimes small animals such as rats and mice like to eat the composting materials. You can prevent this by adding a thin amount of soil to the top of the compost pile.

Farmers who use compost can increase the amount and quality of their crops. Computer users can find more information about composting from Volunteers in Technical Assistance or VITA.

VITA is an organization based in the United States that helps people around the world use science and technology to solve problems. VITA’s Internet address is w-w-w dot v-i-t-a dot o-r-g.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Gary Garriott.