Worm Farming History
Worm composting or worm farming is a process where worms are used to consume organic waste. Their waste or castings are used as soil fertilizer or conditioner. Vermicomposting is another term for worm farming.
This process is very important when processing left-over food or kitchen waste. Worms can eat more than half of their body size, and they eat the waste so quickly that there are no problems with the odor of the food scraps. That is why worm farming is best used for recycling food, yard and paper wastes. The wastes coming from the worms are used to grow plants.
These legless creatures have been around for such a long time and have been helping the environment for decades. For most of the time we have neglected them, aside from instances in our youth when we study them. While others under the process of worm farming or worm composting, were able to put these guys into business.
Worms played a big role in making big lands fertile. In Nile, during 51 from 30 B.C. in time of the rule of Cleopatra VII, Queen of Egypt, export of worms was banned. During that period, those who export and remove worms from their habitat receive death as their punishment. That is why Nile, until today, has the most fertile lands.
Worms have aerating and fertilizing the soil for such a long time. Charles Darwin had a study about his observations of the actions and habits of worms. Through his work, which was published, he claimed that worms are the most important creatures on earth. Plowing, which he also considered as the most important invention of our time, was in the same concept of how worms work. It looses up the soil to aerate it and make sure that the necessary minerals needed for plant growth reaches the plant roots.
When Industrial revolution came in 1800s, natural farming were cast aside. Efforts were directed into making sure that there are more products being harvested. So, how can that be possible? This paved the way for looking chemical agriculture enhancements to yield more growth.
As early as 1927, there were already discoveries on how to develop and produce nitrophosphate. This is used as nitrogen fertilizer to the plants. Yes, these fertilizers indeed developed and produced more crops, but then started the question about the long term effects of these chemicals. Because of constant chemical supply being poured into the soil, earthworms started to die.
These worms once considered to be helpful in making the soil fertile are considered pests and should be stopped. The decrease in the earthworm population led to the fall of the fertility of land.
But the people started to remember the past and the environment again. Currently, there are efforts to encourage most producers to do organic farming. But because chemical and artificial fertilizers are easier to use and more available, most of the farmers still use chemical fertilizers and pesticides. But there are still people who would like to get the soil back to its previous condition. Worm farming or the worm composting went back to its track. This process became a commercial one in 1975. Currently, there are worm farmers who sell worms and organic wastes to organic farmers and gardeners.
Worm farms may not that financially stable and may experience ups and downs in its market, but it is significantly saying that there re still individuals who believed that worms can still do and should do as assigned by Mother Nature
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