Agriculture Business Week

Vermicomposting, the process of producing compost with earthworms, began in the United States in the 1940s. It started in the household with kitchen wastes being processed with the “red wiggler” (Eisenia fetida). The first use of the term “vermicomposting” (coined from vermis, Latin word for worm, and compost, decomposed organic matter) was in 1980 at the First Applied Workshop on the Role of Earthworms in the Stabilization of Organic Residues held at Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Since then, the science and technology of vermiculture (earthworm raising) and vermicomposting have advanced. Of note are the pioneering work of Roy Hartenstein and his co-workers on the use of earthworms for the stabilization of sewage sludge in Syracuse, New York and the studies of Clive Edwards on the role of earthworms in soil ecology in the Rothamstead Experimental Station in England.

This writer was invited by Dr. Clive Edwards, professor and head of the Soil Ecology Laboratory of the Ohio State University to visit commercial vermicomposting farms and exchange experiences with researchers in the U.S. My visit was sponsored by a collaborative project supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

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Posted on August 28th, 2012 under Organic, Special Report. Tags: Earthworm, Vermicompost, Vermicomposting. Comments: None

Although there are more than 400 earthworm species in the country, only a few are efficient for vermicomposting

Earthworms are beneficial soil invertebrates that play an important role in conserving soil and enhancing its fertility. By digesting organic matter, earthworms produce castings that are rich in humus and friendly microbes.

The culture of earthworms or vermiculture is an old industry that began in the United States for the production of worms as fish baits. Its use for the production of organic fertilizer (vermicompost) and for waste management started only in the 1950s.

In the Philippines, vermiculture was introduced in the late 1970s. Although there are more than 400 earthworm species in the country, only a few are efficient for vermicomposting. The “African night crawler” (ANC), an epigeic species (surface-dwelling) is considered the most suitable for the tropics. It was brought into the country by this author in 1982 through a colleague in Germany. After extensive studies, the ANC is now widely cultured in the Philippines for vermicompost and vermimeal (earthworm meal) production.

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Posted on July 6th, 2010 under Organic, SPOTlight. Tags: Earthworm, Vermicompost, Vermicomposting, Worm. Comments: 12

In the last five years or so, the high price of commercial fertilizer has become one of the major concerns of our farmers. Due to this, many farmers cannot give their plants substantial amount of fertilize: Also, due to the use of these chemical fertilizers, many important soil nutrients were lost, resulting in unhealthy crops.

Here in Ilocos Sur, it has been agreed to avoid using inorganic fertilizer for five years. The reason, says the local government, is to lessen the cost of production and to restore lost soil nutrients.

For this reason, a vermicomposting facility has been set up at the 16-hectare BaRang-ay Demo farm in Labing, San Juan. Called Demo on Vermiculture utilizing Biodegradable Substrate (DVBS), the facility will serve as a model in the production of organic fertilizer.

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Posted on February 10th, 2010 under Organic. Tags: Earthworm, Fertilizer, Ilocos Sur, Organic, Vermicompost, Vermicomposting. Comments: 6

Small-scale farmers in the uplands of Kalinga have increase production of indigenous rice with the use of vermicompost from the culture of earthworms, says Virginai Buliyat, development facilitator of Heifer International Philippines (HI-IP)

Forty farmers and their families at Barangay Upper Kalinga in the Municipality of Lubuagan were assisted by the HI-P with the provision of nine goats (AngloNubian and Toggenburg breeds) per family. The goats are fed with grass and leaves of legumes such as Flemingia and kakawate. The manure of the goats is then converted into organic fertilizer through vermicomposting, or the production of vermicompost with earthworms.

“We learned the process of vermicomposting from a training conducted by the Kalinga-Apayao State College in Tabuk City last year,” Buliyat relates. “We also procured our initial stocks of the African nightcrawler, a composting earthworm species, from the KASC.”

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Posted on September 6th, 2009 under Organic, Rice. Tags: Earthworm, Kalinga, Rice, Vermicompost. Comments: 1

Poverty in the country’s rural areas is pervasive. Among the reasons for this are the low income and productivity of families, non-sustainable practices of natural resources management, and the lack of viable livelihood industries.

A national program now ur place to help address the above concerns intends to harness “earthworm power” for rural development. Known as the National Vermicompost and Vermimeal Production Program or N2V2P for short, it is supported by the Philippine Japan Program for Underprivileged Farmers of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) and coordinated by the Philippine Council for Aquatic and Marine Research and Development (PCAMRD) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

Earthworms are harmless and useful soil-dwelling animals without backbones (invertebrates scientifically known as annelids or segmented worms) that contribute to soil fertility and conservation through their environment-friendly characteristics. They enrich the soil with humus (organic matter) and enhance beneficial microbial activities that promote plant growth and resistance to pests and diseases. Unlike parasitic worms such as the hookworm and tapeworm that many of us detest, earthworms have been considered as the “intestines of the earth,” “angels of the soil,” and “bio-engineers,” by various authorities from ancient to modem times.

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Posted on January 12th, 2009 under Organic. Tags: Earthworm, Vermicompost. Comments: 12

As of 2003, 56 percent of the rice terraces in Banaue, Hungduan, and Mayoyao has been damaged by giant earthworms (Pheretima elongate), resulting in very low production and erosion.

Farmers tried to eradicate these pests which grow from 6 to 20 inches long, and burrow in the dikes of rice paddies by pounding the soil. This, however, did not work. And thus, many farmers have left Banaue which resulted in the abandonment of 30 percent of the terraces.

To preserve the rice terraces, the Ifugao State College of Agriculture and Forestry funded a laboratory study of these authors on the eradication of the giant earthworms.

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Posted on December 2nd, 2008 under Rice. Tags: Earthworm, Marigold, Pests, Rice. Comments: None