About 6 months ago, a few sponsors pooled together US$360.00 for our Goducate team in Laguna, Philippines to start a vermiculture (“vermi” is high-class word for “worms”) livelihood project.
Prior to this our Goducate team had been studying different methods of helping the poor to help themselves. They did feasibility studies on raising tilapias (a type of fish) in backyard farms, of producing quail’s eggs in backyards, of raising goats, etc.
At the end of about 4-5 months of feasibility studies, we came to the conclusion that using worms to produce fertilizer was most suitable for the people of Laguna. Laguna is the place where the famous International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) is situated – this is the place where the rice hybrids of the world are produced to feed Asia’s growing population. The University of the Philippines at Los Banos (UPLB), with its agricultural research departments, are also situated in Laguna.
Our friends at UPLB suggested that we use worms (a special species called “African night crawler”) to turn waste vegetation (eg. grass, banana trunks) into top-quality organic fertilizer. The advantages of this project are many.
Firstly, the price of fertilizers will rise in the long-term because it’s pegged to the price of petroleum. Secondly, fertilizers will always be needed in farming communities. Thirdly, the financial investment is low and technical know-how simple.
So with the funds provided by the kind sponsors, we started our pilot project with a few kilos of worms. The objective was not only to do a feasibility of this method of livelihood but also to produce more worms to pass to other poor people – who would also agree to pass worms on to others. It was in effect, a rural version of a pyramid-scheme in reverse!
This pilot project went on well and met our expectations…. until the typhoon (codenamed “Ketsana” internationally or codenamed “Ondoy” locally) hit Laguna at the end of October 2009. Almost all the worms in about 10 different worm-beds were drowned by the flood!
As our workers were busy surviving the typhoon and busy helping others who were badly affected by the flood, the poor worms were drowning!
When I arrived in Laguna, I witnessed a “salvage” operation to save the worms that were still alive.
Thankfully, there are enough survivors to re-start the project. Several lessons have been learned from the pilot project and from the flood and these will be put in place to improve our efficiency.
I believe that vermiculture is a good project which can help many poor people help themselves.
I believe that it can be used in most agricultural communities throughout Asia.
I believe that it will be more and more useful because the price of oil (and therefore the price of synthetic fertilizers) will rise.
I believe that organic fertilizers will not only provide a source of income for the poor but that it will also produce healthier food for all of us.
More photos (click thumbnail to view photos):
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