Earthworm Farming Market Share

North America Market Insights

North America is dominating the earthworm farming market and is expected to hold the market share of 35.7% by 2035. The market is driven by the stringent organic waste diversion policies and robust support for sustainable agriculture. Various organizations are focusing on food waste reduction, compelling vermicomposting adoption to surge the market growth. The USDA NRCS programs provide financial assistance for soil health practices, including vermicompost use, creating farmers demand. The earthworm farming market exhibits a trend towards the industrial scale, technology-integrated operations, which are capable of processing significant organic waste volumes from the municipalities and agribusiness. Consumer demand for organic food further propels the market growth and establishes a stable end market for high-quality vermicompost.

The U.S. market is defined by the policy-driven demand and technological scaling. The goal for food waste reduction is the vital driver mandating the alternatives to landfilling and creating feedstock for vermifarming. Further, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service promotes the vermicompost via its Environmental Quality Incentives Program, offering cost-share funding to farmers for adopting soil health practices. This creates a powerful push-pull effect; waste policy ensures a low-cost input supply, while agricultural subsidies stimulate the demand. On the other hand, the funding for soil amendments is the crucial demand driver of the market. The production of the organic soil amendments improves soil health, structure, and fertility. The USDA data in April 2023 states that it has invested USD 40 million to develop innovative approaches to climate-smart agriculture.

Key R&D Funding Initiatives for Soil Amendments in the U.S.

Source: USDA April 2023, ECALS June 2024, USD May 2025

The earthworm farming market in Canada is forecasted to grow due to the national strategy for a circular economy and provincial organic waste bans. The federal Healthy Environment and a Healthy Economy plan emphasizes waste reduction and soil organic carbon enhancement, aligning perfectly with the vermiculture benefits. The bans on the landfilling of organic waste, such as those in Ontario and British Columbia, create a demand for processing solutions such as large-scale vermicomposting. The Canadian Council of the Ministers of the Environment aids this via its commitment to reduce organic waste. According to the Government of Canada data in the September 2025 report, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change has funded more than USD 640,000 to support local government research and capacity-building initiatives to minimize the food and other organic waste that is sent to landfills. This reduction effectively protects the environment and surges the demand for the market.

APAC Market Insights

Asia Pacific’s earthworm farming market is the world’s fastest-growing and is driven by the urgent need to manage the escalating organic waste and enhance food security. India and China are the key players in the earthworm farming market and are propelled by the massive agricultural sectors and government initiatives promoting organic alternatives to chemical fertilizers. For example, India’s National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture actively aids in organic farming practices, creating a direct demand for vermicompost. A key regional trend is the incorporation of small-scale decentralized worm farms into agricultural cooperatives, allowing for the collective waste processing and input production. This model is vital in countries such as Vietnam and Malaysia. Further, technologically advanced operations are emerging in South Korea and Japan, aiming for the high-value vermicompost for specialty crops and exporting premium breeding stock.

China’s earthworm farming market is defined by its integration into large-scale, state supported circular economy and rural revitalization initiatives. The Double Carbon goal provides a policy framework that incentivizes organic waste valorization where vermicomposting plays a key role. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural affairs promotes the recycling of livestock manure as a fertilizer substitute. According to the report from the Food and Agriculture Organizations of the United Nations data in 2020 to 2026 depicts that Shandong, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, and Guizhou have collectively designated over 450,000 hectares of land for adopting improved agricultural practices, which includes the use of organic amendments like vermicompost, alongside 80,000 hectares for restoration projects. This creates a massive structured demand for the vermiculture process organic waste into standardized soil amendments.

Provincial Agricultural Improvement and Restoration Targets

Source: FAO  2020-2026

India’s is leading the APAC earthworm farming market and is driven by the federal and state government policies promoting sustainable agricultre and waste management. The National Mission for the Sustainable Agriculture under the Ministry of Agriculture actively promotes for organic farming practices directly creating demand for vermicompost as a key input. A significant push comes from the broader Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojona that aims to support organic farmers. The PIB data in December 2024 states that under the MOVCDNER scheme, an assistance of Rs. 46,500 per hectare for 3 years is provided to support farmers for organic inputs, quality seeds or planting material and training. This data directly drives demand for earthworm farming outputs, because organic cultivation requires continuous use of certified biological soil amendments.

State Wise Details of Fund Allocation during 2023-24 to 2024-25 for Promoting Organic Farming

Source: PIB December 2024

Europe Market Insights

The European Union’s stringent regulatory framework mainly the Farm to Fork strategy and the Circular Economy Action plan, is the key driver driving the demand for the earthworm farming market in Europe. The key trend is the integration of vermicomposting into municipal organic waste management systems to comply with the landfill diversion mandates. This is supported by the funding mechanisms, such as the EU Cohesion Fund, which finances the waste management infrastructure. For example, the European Union’s Horizon Europe program has allocated significant funding for research into soil health, indirectly benefiting the vermiculture sector. The earthworm farming market is defined by the high degree of standardization and a growing network of industrial-scale facilities that process urban bio-waste into high-value agricultural inputs, positioning Europe as a leader in the high-quality certified vermicompost production.

Germany is projected to hold the highest revenue share in Europe by 2035, and is driven by its strong industrial base and stringent environmental regulations. The country’s Düngeverordnung strictly limits the application of phosphorus and nitrogen to combat water pollution, forcing the farmers to seek highly efficient, low-leaching alternatives such as vermicompost. This regulatory pressure is a primary growth factor. The trend is towards the large-scale, technology-driven vermicomposting facilities that partner with the waste management companies. According to the Destatis data in September 2022, the generation of bio-waste in Germany households was over 2.6 million tons, representing a vast, untapped feedstock potential for the earthworm farming industry to capitalize on.

France will be a dominant player in the earthworm farming market, and the growth is based on the aggressive national policy against agricultural chemicals and a strong organic food sector. The French government’s Ecophyto plan aims to drastically reduce pesticide use, while local ordinances have banned their use in public spaces. This creates a powerful policy-driven earthworm farming market for the bio-based solutions. The trend involves integrating vermiculture into the viticulture and horiculture sectors where product quality is paramount. The support from the French Agency for Ecological Transition, which actively funds the recovery of the organic waste. The Organic targets data in May 2025 provides evidence stating that the development of organic farmlands in France in 2022 was 2,876,052 hectares, illustrating the extensive and growing end-market for vermicompost.