Fermented Organic Matter aka Bokashi

Bokashi is an innovative, anaerobic fermentation process that offers a superior alternative to traditional composting. 

Bokashi meaning: Rooted in Japanese agricultural practices, “bokashi” translates to “fermented organic matter.” 

Unlike thermophilic composting, which relies on aerobic microbial activity and high temperatures, bokashi utilizes a specialized blend of beneficial microbes to break down organic material efficiently in a controlled, oxygen-free environment. This unique method enhances soil health. It improves nutrient retention and offers an environmentally friendly solution for managing organic waste.

How Bokashi Works

The bokashi fermentation process is straightforward yet highly effective. It involves layering organic waste, including food scraps, agricultural residues, and manure, with a microbial inoculant—often a mixture of lactic acid bacteria, yeasts, and phototrophic bacteria. These microbes facilitate the breakdown of organic material without generating excess heat or losing valuable nutrients through volatilization. Anyone interested in sustainable waste management and soil enrichment can easily adopt this straightforward process.

The entire bokashi fermentation process takes about two weeks, during which the material undergoes acidification, preventing putrefaction and the growth of harmful pathogens. This rapid process ensures you can quickly recycle your organic waste and enrich your soil with nutrient-rich compost. After fermentation, the fermented organic matter is spread on the soil. It quickly integrates into the soil, enriching it with organic matter and beneficial microbes. The speed and efficiency of the process will make you feel productive and efficient in your waste management and soil enrichment efforts.

Applications of Fermented Organic Matter

Bokashi is a versatile tool with various applications in agriculture, gardening, and waste management. Its adaptability inspires creativity and innovation. It allows you to explore new ways to use fermented organic matter to enhance soil fertility and reduce waste in your unique context.

Home and Garden Bokashi Use

Homeowners can use bokashi to recycle kitchen scraps, creating a nutrient-rich amendment for garden beds, raised planters, and lawns. Additionally, homeowners can gather nearby animal manure and ferment it for several weeks. This adds nutrients and fermented organic matter to their soil. The fermented organic matter enhances soil microbiology, boosting beneficial microbial populations that contribute to soil structure and plant health. Additionally, bokashi-treated soil retains moisture more effectively. This reduces irrigation needs, making it ideal for drought-prone gardens.

Large-Scale Bokashi Agricultural Systems

Farmers can integrate bokashi into manure and crop residue management to enhance soil fertility and reduce dependency on synthetic fertilizers. Farmers can reintroduce a balanced mix of nutrients into their soil by fermenting organic materials. This maintains the natural microbial ecosystem. Consequently, this leads to healthier plants with stronger resistance to disease, improved yields, and a significant reduction in the need for chemical inputs.

Bokashi Use In Urban Waste Management

Municipalities, businesses, and community gardens can adopt bokashi systems to handle food waste more efficiently while reducing landfill contributions. Bokashi buckets serve as anaerobic vessels for fermentation. Users sprinkle fermented bran, also known as bokashi sprinkle, on food scraps, which creates fermented organic material inside the buckets. Since bokashi does not require oxygen, it can be implemented in small, enclosed spaces such as apartment buildings, schools, and offices. Communities can use the resulting fermented organic matter in gardens or local agricultural initiatives. This contributes to a circular waste economy that supports food production and soil restoration.

Using Bokashi With Animals

Bokashi can treat manure, accelerate decomposition, preserve food, and reduce odor while preserving valuable nutrients for soil application.

Traditional manure storage leads to nutrient leaching and greenhouse gas emissions. In contrast, bokashi fermentation stabilizes nutrients, making them more readily available to plants upon application. This method reduces reliance on synthetic fertilizers in pasture management. It also promotes healthier grazing lands.

Animal feed can be fermented (turned into bokashi). The fermentation process naturally preserves feed nutrients and adds several essential vitamins, including B-complex vitamins, which are produced by microbes, as well as amino acids, fatty acids, and more. This fermentation of feed is also called silage. However, it includes the addition of specific beneficial microorganisms.

Bokashi vs. Thermophilic Composting

Thermophilic composting is a (heat-driven) process that relies on oxygen, aerobic microbial decomposition, and temperatures above 130°F to break down organic matter. While effective, this method has several drawbacks:

• Nutrient Loss: High temperatures drive off nitrogen and carbon, such as ammonia and carbon dioxide, as well as hydrogen sulfide, nitrous oxides, and methane (all greenhouse gases). Nearly 50% of the total compost volume turns into greenhouse gases.
• Long Processing Time: Composting can take at least six months to mature fully.
• Space and Management Requirements: Turning and aerating compost piles demand significant labor and land area.

In contrast, bokashi fermentation:

• Retains More Nutrients: Since it occurs in an anaerobic environment, fewer nutrients are lost to volatilization. Some CO₂ is produced during fermentation. Nearly all nitrogen is retained by converting it into a stable form known as amino acids, and roughly 18% of the nitrogen is used by microbes for food.
• Faster Processing: The fermentation phase lasts only two weeks. Complete soil integration occurs within an additional two to four weeks.
• Higher Organic Matter Content: The material remains structurally intact, delivering more organic matter to the soil than traditional compost.
• More Efficient Manure and Green Waste Recycling: Large piles of manure and green waste can be fermented for two months. This produces a nutrient-dense soil amendment that is superior to compost in terms of microbial diversity and nutrient retention.

Benefits of Bokashi for Soil Health

Bokashi offers multiple advantages to soil structure and fertility:

1. Enhances Microbial Diversity: The inoculated microbes improve soil ecology, promoting plant health and disease resistance.
2. Increases Organic Matter Content: Unlike compost, which loses carbon through decomposition, bokashi preserves more organic matter. This enhances soil tilth and water retention.
3. Boosts Nutrient Availability: Fermentation pre-digests organic material, making nutrients more readily available to plants when incorporated into the soil.
4. Supports Regenerative Agriculture: Bokashi aligns with organic, regenerative, and sustainable farming and gardening practices. It maintains soil microbial balance and reduces dependence on chemical fertilizers.

Conclusion

Bokashi is not just an alternative to traditional composting; it’s superior. Its efficiency, nutrient retention, and soil health benefits make it a game-changing approach to recycling organic matter. Whether for small-scale gardening or large-scale agricultural waste management, bokashi’s ability to retain nutrients, accelerate decomposition, and enhance soil health instills confidence in its effectiveness. As more individuals and industries adopt bokashi, its potential to revolutionize soil fertility and sustainability efforts will only continue to grow.