The Sunday Mail
During the week I had an interesting excursion to Chitungwiza where earthworms are believed to be transforming the livelihoods of some residents there.
Through raising the red worm, previously unemployed people have found a new way of making a living.
Earthworms are being reared for decomposing various types of organic matter from invasive aquatic weeds, tobacco waste to vegetable waste from Mbare Musika.
Earthworms produce a very rich organic fertiliser, which is sold to farmers at an average price of US$13 for a 60-litre bag equivalent to the standard 50kg bag of fertiliser.
Make money by raising these red earthworms as these critters can be sold at US$7 a kilogramme, the same price as a 2kg broiler.
The initial capital injection is just US$20 to purchase the breeding pack of earthworms; thereafter it’s all smiles to the bank.
The earthworms are used to decompose organic matter in a 28-day process, though the time can be halved to 14 days with the right equipment.
Dr Whingwiri, the founder of the project, explained that “at the moment we are doing everything by hand, but with funding we can produce more organic fertiliser”.
As we approach the 2014-15 agricultural season, farmers will need about 300 000 tonnes of fertiliser of which local industry will supply 200 000 tonnes, with 40 percent being imported.
The remaining percentage can easily be supplied if the country is to use all its organic domestic and industrial waste by simply adapting earthworm technology (vermiculture).
Organic fertilisers are rich in bacteria, which are essential in the making of all the plant-growing nutrients available to the plant and also help prevent various crop diseases.
These organic fertilisers also produce tastier fruits or vegetables.
Basically the earthworms eat organic matter digesting it then producing waste which is a very rich organic fertiliser.
Organic fertilisers promote sustainable land utilisation by ensuring the proliferation of micro-organisms.
A healthy soil has many micro-organisms which help plants grow better.
I witnessed first-hand how this technology can transform both rural and urban councils as earthworms can be used to decompose raw sewage at near to no cost except for the initial infrastructure outlay.
Earthworm digesting centres can be constructed in various suburbs to decompose sewage waste whereby clean water is then released for further purification at albeit half the cost.
Earthworms can transform rural households as they can be used in Blair toilets to decompose sewage waste producing clean water which can be reused to flush the toilet or to water the garden.
The Blair toilets also produce gas for cooking removing the need for firewood.
Rural schools and urban hospitals can benefit, particularly with the challenges local authorities are facing to supply water.
Sewage recycling facilities at hospitals will greatly argument the water required at such big institutions.
Organic stockfeeds are an extra benefit from earthworms.
Dried earthworms contain 72 percent crude protein compared to 40-50 percent of soya cake, which means earthworms can replace fish-meal or soya cake as stockfeed ingredients.
An average 50kg bag of organic stockfeed can sell at US$8.
Earthworms have long been used in Chinese medicine for various aliments such as lowering high blood pressure, increasing appetite and for stomach infections such as diarrhoea, ulcers and typhoid.
The worms are dried and ground into a powder that is consumed in the form of capsules.
The worms can also be consumed for their high protein content, by first freezing them and scrapping into an energy drink.
Indeed the earthworm is a small creature but one that has tremendous potential to transform communities through its myriad number of uses.
The benefits are just too many to ignore, let us help clean our country by using the earthworm as our waste workhorse.
An agricultural revolution can begin if as a country we utilise the earthworm’s ability to decompose organic waste, as it is a very cheap way of fertilising our land and promoting sustainable farming.
For further details contact Andrew Mangwarara by email at [email protected]
