Earthworms and Vermicompost for Climate Resilient Sustainable Agriculture

Climate change poses significant challenges to agriculture, necessitating innovative and sustainable approaches to ensure food security and environmental resilience. Earthworms are vital soil inhabitants and serve as ecosystem engineers. Earthworms play an indispensable role in mitigating problems related to climate change. They support climate resilient sustainable agriculture by enhancing soil health, influencing microbial communities, mitigating climate change impacts, and promoting nutrient cycling through their burrowing activity. Vermicompost, derived from earthworm-mediated decomposition, is key to enhancing soil health by regulating pH, microbial biodiversity, and carbon sequestration, resulting in improved crop quality with lower heavy metal and nitrate content compared to mineral fertilizers, fostering resilient agroecosystems amidst climate change challenges in a sustainable eco-friendly manner. The earthworms through vermicomposting technology contribute an effective solution for organic waste management with reduced greenhouse emissions as compared to conventional composting. Earthworm activity or addition of vermicompost as soil amendments increases soil aggregate stability, improves porosity and water infiltration, increases the activity of beneficial soil microbes and improves crop yield. earthworms and vermicompost is crucial for the future of agriculture, significantly contributing to environmental conservation while also supporting a circular economy. Through a comprehensive understanding of the ecological functions and pest and nutrient management strategies associated with earthworms and vermicompost application, this chapter advocates for their widespread adoption as key component of climate-resilient sustainable agriculture.