KOCHI: Kovalam-based NGO Positive Change for Marine Life (PCFML) has recently launched a bio-organic compost using a novel technique. The compost is prepared using the larvae of black soldier flies. The focus of the NGO is on training the local community to manage their food waste through this programme.
For the past six years, the NGO has been working on marine conservation jointly with the fishing communities in Kottapuram, Vizhinjam and Kovalam through the ‘Waste to Wealth’ programme, which primarily aims at putting waste to good use and identify opportunities to generate local employment and income in waste management.
In association with Thiruvananthapuram-based startup Xylem Botanicals, this bio-organic compost was recently launched for retail sale at the Akkulam Tourist Village under the banner of District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC). DTPC secretary Sharon Veetil inaugurated the sales.
Officials with NGO said, this is a significant milestone in PCFML’s long-term strategy to address the waste management issues faced by the coastal communities. The pilot study was conducted solely by PCFML at their Marine Conservation Centre in Kovalam.
“We have completed the pilot stages at our workshop, where we produced 250kg of compost. In the next phase, we will focus on scaling this set up to cover 250 households across the fishing villages of Vizhinjam and Kottapuram. The sale of the product will create alternative income for the women in the fishers communities and reduce the impact of eutrophication on waterways and the ocean. It will further reduce the impacts of disease within the region,” said Krishna Kalidas, community development and waste management coordinator at PCFML.
No plastic materials have been used in manufacturing the compost, added Krishna. “Black soldier flies are harmless and can clean organic waste. Their larvae can also be a great source of protein for poultry. BSF composting is a clean, fast, and cost-effective means of converting organic waste into more excellent value,” he said.
The efficiency of this composting was studied by the PCFML team and the Department of Agricultural Entomology at the Kerala Agricultural University, Vellayani, and had recently presented a paper at the conference on Bio resources and Commercial Utilisation organised by the Kerala State Biodiversity Board.
“After extensive testing at our facility, we are excited to see this initiative grow,” says Richu Baby, country manager for PCFML. “Besides selling, I have been using this compost at my nursery for some time. It is of good quality and has shown better results than most other composts available today,” says Vysak V, founder of Xylem Botanicals.