Back to solutions
1 Jan 2020 | NEPCAT technologies

Biodynamic composting

1 min Read

70% Complete

A faster and more effective way to produce high quality compost in large quantities by surface composting using dry and green farm biomass piled in a heap.

Biodynamic denotes a method of organic farming that emphasizes a holistic understanding of the interrelationships between soil, plants, and animals in a self-sustaining system. It excludes the use of artificial chemicals and stresses the importance of integrating farm animals, the cultivation of crops, and caring for the land. Fermented herbal and mineral preparations are used as compost additives and field sprays. Biodynamic composting is an inexpensive means of producing a large amount of compost within a relatively short time compared to other methods. It is ideal for farmers who require large amounts of compost, such as for orchards; or when several households get together to produce and share compost. This type of composting also helps to store soil carbon, assists irrigation practices that keep fields alternatively moist and dry, works to decrease the number of soil pests, and reduces methane emission. This practice not only enhances agricultural production as an on-site benefit to the land users but also contributes to the off-site benefits enjoyed by downstream land users, since it helps to reduce sedimentation and increases water availability.

ICIMOD Knowledge Park at Godavari, Lalitpur District, Nepal

WOCAT database reference: QT NEP 35

Location: ICIMOD Knowledge Park at Godavari, Lalitpur District, Nepal.

Technology area: Demonstration plot

Conservation measure(s): Management Land use type: Annual cropping

Stage of intervention: Prevention of land degradation

Origin: Experiment/demonstration/research

Climate: Sub-humid/temperate

Related approach: Not described

Other related technology: Improved compost preparation (QT NEP 7), Better quality farmyard manure through improved decomposition(QT NEP 8), Improved farmyard manure through sunlight, rain and runoff protection (QT NEP 9), Black plastic covered farmyard manure (QT NEP 16)

Compiled by: Samden L. Sherpa, ICIMOD

Date: May 2011, updated March 2013

Download PDF

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Plastic film technology

Plastic film technology, sometimes called plastic mulching, is an important breakthrough that can transform traditional agriculture into modern agriculture by ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Kiwi fruit cultivation

Kiwi fruit cultivation on sloping land in the mid-hill areas of Nepal can help prevent soil erosion and is a ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Plastic-lined conservation pond to store irrigation water

A plastic-lined dugout pond to store runoff and household waste-water for irrigation purposes during dry periods Water harvesting technology is very ...

1 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Contour bunding

A traditional low-cost method of soil conservation suitable for sloping land; it promotes water retention and helps prevent erosion. Contour bunding ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Using Salix plants to protect stream banks

Stream banks can be protected by planting them with Salix (Salix babylonica); this is a traditional practice that has been ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Rooftop rainwater harvesting system

A water harvesting system in which rain falling on a roof is led through connecting pipes into a ferro-cement water ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Polypit nursery

A simple, inexpensive and practical method for raising healthy plant seedlings During the winter in Nepal’s middle mountains, the soil temperature ...

2 Jan 2020 NEPCAT technologies
Riverbank protection

Local materials and knowledge can be used to construct low-cost structural measures that help to prevent the erosion of riverbanks ...