In Kiambu, Kenya, this modest installation contributes to the creation of healthy soil. It is a compost production facility using worms.
The employees sift the soil to separate the red worms from the other materials.
These little creatures are the secret to success.
They are voracious eaters, and when added to waste and animal excrement, they devour the contents, aerate the composting beds, and produce pH-balanced compost free of pathogens.
This is called vermicomposting.
This initiative was founded by George Muturi, who launched trials in 2018 to transform agricultural waste into compost for the soil.
"When we talk about vermicomposting, we are simply talking about using worms, earthworms initially raised to transform any agricultural or organic waste into an organic fertilizer called vermicompost," he explains.
Today, his Comfort Worms and Insects farm raises red worms and harvests 12 tons of vermicompost each month.
He uses some of it on his own plots and sells the rest to farmers who need alternatives to synthetic chemicals.
Muturi's activity is part of Kenya's booming circular economy, where waste becomes a resource.
“There is a huge difference between the vermicompost produced by this process and cow, or even sheep or goat, manure in terms of nutrient composition, pH balance, organic matter, and carbon and nitrogen levels. All these elements make a considerable difference, especially regarding the safety of my fertilizer when I use it on the farm. Indeed, the worms now act as cleaning agents. So, if there are pathogens or harmful elements in your manure, the worms will be able to decompose them and provide us with very clean, high-quality compost for the soil,” he explains.
Decades of overuse of chemical fertilizers have depleted the soils.
Organic carbon levels have fallen in many agricultural lands, with research showing that around 75% of Kenya's soils are suffering from organic carbon depletion, according to a 2025 report by the Heinrich Boell Foundation.
Soil degradation affects 64% of arable land, according to a 2023 World Bank assessment, which exacerbates erosion, compaction and leads to yield declines of up to 50% in key regions such as the Rift Valley and central Kenya.
Farmers in these regions are directly affected by this, and many are now turning to solutions such as vermicomposting to restore their land and boost long-term productivity.
Farmers like James Wairuri have changed course.
"When I used conventional fertilizers, they contained many chemicals that destroyed the soil, but when I started using organic compost, I noticed that the soil health improved and my yields also increased," explains Mr. Wairuri.
Experts confirm this enthusiasm.
Speranzer Muthoni, an agronomist within the Rural Health and Environmental Awareness (RHEA) group, highlights the benefits of vermicomposting for soil preservation.
“This addresses the problem of low organic carbon content. It also contributes to soil nutrition by providing nutrients. When worms feed, they consume solid waste and vegetable scraps; you feed them these kitchen scraps. In doing so, they transform them into fertile soil, and this compost is beneficial for the soil. In cases of compaction, it helps to loosen the soil. This therefore provides more nutrients and aerates the soil,” she explains.
Repair the soil, one worm at a time.
