hw ids

3

Student Name

Instructor Name

IDS 4939

Date

Project Design Action Plan: How Vermicompost can help our planet

Project Overview

The project aims to establish how Vermicompost can help our planet. Vermicomposting refers to the use of different species of worms such as red wrigglers, white worms, or earthworms to convert biodegradable waste into organic manure. The organic manure created from vermicomposting is Vermicompost.

I am interested in the topic because there is concern about the increase of genetically modified organisms. Most of the food consumed by people is genetically modified, and they affect the growth of people. Children grow so fast and have huge bodies hence looking older, whereas people age sooner and are vulnerable to diseases. The consumption of genetically modified food products was invented to curb hunger, but they are doing more harm than good to the health of the people, thus the need to seek alternative means of food production that will produce healthy crops. Additionally, the use of fertilizers and chemicals on plants and the soil has damaged the soil and the crops produced have chemical traces in them. Vermicompost is a possible solution to produce healthier foods and protect the soil. The end goal is to safeguard the health of people.

Through the research, I hope to learn the process of creating Vermicompost. Further, the benefits of using Vermicompost, the challenges of using Vermicompost and how to overcome them, the mechanisms of maximizing the use of Vermicompost and increasing food production, and the variety of crops that can thrive by the use of Vermicompost.

Research Questions

· What is Vermicompost?

· How to make Vermicompost.

· What are the benefits of using Vermicompost?

· What are the shortcomings of Vermicompost?

· Which crop variety will do well in soils of Vermicompost?

· Who will be responsible for the production of Vermicompost?

Past General Education Program Connection

The studies in class on the human population and basic needs such as food and shelter piqued my interest in this topic. Mostly, the challenge that people face is to afford to put a meal on the table. Some people do not manage to plant crops because fertilizer is expensive, yet if given an opportunity with vermicomposting, they can increase food production. For example, vegetables should not be so expensive to buy because with the use of vermicomposting, vegetables can be planted in home gardens and be enough for the family. In class, we learned about agriculture, and I resonated with it.

Agriculture is so diverse and resourceful for the community. Growing up, we had a kitchen garden where our mother planted vegetables and other small plants for different recipes, but the challenge was the stench of using organic manure. After learning about vermicomposting and knowing that Vermicompost does not smell, it became an area of interest.

Short and Long-term Goals

The short-term goals include eliminating the bad smell in compounds that have small gardens and, ensuring biodegradable waste is useful, reducing waste dumping costs. Additionally, Vermicompost will help in the production of vegetables for families cutting the costs of buying vegetables.

The long-term goal is to restore organic fertility in soils and reduce on use of chemicals. The other long-term goal is to safeguard the health of people from lifestyle diseases because of eating foods contaminated by chemicals.

Integrative Learning Plan

I will research this topic from a multi-disciplinary perspective, looking at scholarly resources such as journals, articles, books, and online resources that have documented information on vermicomposting. I will also interview people who use vermicomposting to acquire information about their experiences. I will also watch documentaries on YouTube to discover how often farmers use vermicomposting. The estimated length of the written research work is twenty pages.

Social Change Connection Plan

The experiences inform this topic and present challenges humanity faces in producing fresh crops and the deterioration of soils. The use of chemicals harms both humanity and the soils; thus, in the future, this project should be transformative to offset the problems humanity faces. The change most likely will be progressive. To reach out to many people, I will use social media hashtags, especially on Facebook and YouTube, because many people around the globe are familiar with the two applications.

Project Management Plan

The plan is on the worksheet.