VERMICOMPOSTING: THE BURO-BURO EXPERIENCE

1. VERMICOMPOSTING:THE BURO-BURO EXPERIENCE PAMELA T. HENARES BURO-BURO SPRINGS VERMIFARM Bo. Concepcion, Talisay City, Negros Occidental

2. A VISIT TOBURO-BURO SPRINGS VERMI FARM

9. A LITTLE BACKGROUND… DECIDING TO GO ORGANIC

10. PEOPLE WHO HELPED US GO INTO VERMICOMPOSTING • DR. RAFAEL GUERRERO III • EXCUTIVE DIRECTOR OF DOST-PCAMRD • MRS LINA VILLEGAS • AWARDEE FOR OUTSTANDING SCIENTIST BY THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

11. ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY… • LOW COST • LOW TECH • BUT SCIENTIFICALLY BASED

12. VERMICOMPOST ANALYSIS

13. SUBSTRATE ANALYSIS

14. HI! MY NAME ISEUGENE SHORT FOREUDRILUS EUGINAE

15. AND I’M HERE TO HELP YOU WITH YOUR GARBAGE PROBLEM

16. EUGENE is commonly known as THE AFRICAN NIGHTCRAWLER • COMPOST WORMS • EAT COMPOST AND LIVE IN THE UPPER 3-4 INCHES OF SOIL. • FLAT BELLIED, REDDISH IN COLOR AND GROW TO ABOUT 1 GRAM ONLY. • CAN BE CULTURED IN CAPTIVITY

17. SOME FACTS ABOUT EUGENE… • It is a true hermaphrodite. • When 2 earthworms come together, they both get pregnant. • It is perfectly evolved so that even if you put several species together, they will not cross breed. • The African Nightcrawlers, when sexually mature breed every week and can produce 2-10 worms. • 1 worm divided by 2 = 1. • They eat their weight per day

18. ADULT WORMS

19. BABY WORM EGGS

20. VERMICOMPOSTINGis the production of compost with the use of worms (vermis in Latin). VERMICOMPOST is vermicast with other components from the worm bed such as compost, microbes, earthworms, etc. In a single process, we are given two products – vermicast which is pure worm excreta and worm biomass.

21. OTHER SUCCESS STORIES • MARY ANN MIRASOL • BITAY LACSON • PBSP AND CARP BENEFICIARIES • LEISURE FARMS, LEMERY, BATANGAS • ANDOK’S FARM

22. FIELDS TREATED WITH CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS APRIL 2003, AT THE HEIGHT OF EL NIÑO MARY ANN MIRASOL'S CANE FIELDS FERTILIZED WITH VERMICOMPOST

23. MARY ANN MIRASOL'S WORM BEDS

24. STEPS IN VERMICOMPOSTING GATHERING OF MATERIALS PREPARATION OF MATERIALS ANAEROBIC DECOMPOSITION(10-12 DAYS) AEROBIC DECOMPOSITION(30-35 DAYS) VERMICOMPOST EARTHWORM BIOMASS MARKET ON FARM USE VERMI-MEAL PRODUCTION RECYCLE PREPARED BY: DEPARTMENT OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY PHILIPPINE COUNCIL FOR AQUATIC AND MARINE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA

25. WHAT GREAT MEN SAID ABOUT THE LOWLY EARTHWORM • ARISTOTLE called them the “INTESTINES OF THE EARTH” • CHARLES DARWIN, in 1881 wrote a treatise entitled “THE FORMATION OF VEGETABLE MOUND THROUGH THE ACTION OF EARTHWORMS” • “It may be doubted whether there are any other animals which have played so important a part in the history of the world as have those lowly, organized creatures” • GEORGE SHEFFIELD OLIVER in 1941 wrote “FRIEND EARTHWORM: PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF A LIFETIME STUDY OF HABITS OF THE MOST IMPORTANT ANIMAL IN THE WORLD"

27. BACOLOD CITYSOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT BOARD

28. EARTHWORMS HAVE BEEN OBSERVED TO CONSUME - • SEWAGE SLUDGE • ANIMAL WASTES • CROP RESIDUES • INDUSTRIAL REFUSE • COMMUNITY WASTE • HOUSEHOLD REFUSE • AS A RESULT, EARTHWORMS • ENHANCE MICROBIAL ACTIVITY • HASTEN THE RATE OF DECOMPOSITION OF ORGANIC MATTER • CONCENTRATE THE NUTRIENTS • DECREASE VOLUME • LEAD TO A HUMIFICATION EFFECT WHEREBY THE UNSTABLE ORGANIC MATTER IS OXIDIZED AND STABILIZED • REDUCE PATHOGENS ORIGINALLY FOUND IN THE SUBSTRATE.

29. INFORMATION CAMPAIGN AT THE BACOLOD CITY LIBERTAD MARKET

30. KICK-OFF ACTIVITIES WITH MAYOR JOY VALDEZ

31. GATHERING OF SEGREGATED MARKET WASTE AT LIBERTAD MARKET, BACOLOD CITY

32. SHREDDING AT LIBERTAD MARKET, BACOLOD CITY

33. SUBSTRATE LOADED INTO WORMBEDS AT BURO-BURO SPRINGS VERMI FARM

34. COMPOSTING AREA

35. A COMPARISON… BURO-BURO FARM WASTE VERSUS BACOLOD CITY LIBERTAD MARKET WASTE

37. SUMMARY RESULTS OF 90 DAYS START-UP COSTS EXPANDED TO 120 DAYS

38. 30-DAY OPERATIONS ONCE STABILIZED

39. ANALYSIS OF VERMICOMPOST FROM BIODEGRADABLE WASTE IN THE LOS BAÑOS DUMP SITE DONE AT THE DEPT. OF SOIL, UPLB, LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA

40. WHAT ABOUT PATHOGENS? BRUCE EASTMAN - ASSISTANT MANAGER WITH THE ORANGE COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION DIVISION, FLORIDA, wrote an article entitled: “ACHIEVING PATHOGEN STABILIZATION USING VERMICOMPOSTING” “After 2 years of tests, a project in Florida finds that vermicomposting is effective in reducing pathogen levels in biosolids to meet Class A requirements” - PUBLISHED IN BIOCYCLE MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 1999 ISSUE KELLY SLOCUM – LEADING VERMICULTURIST, say this of the article by BRUCE EASTMAN: “This landmark experiment by the Orange County research team proved that indeed, vermicomposting could successfully reduce normal pathogen levels, thus enabling the Environmental Protection Agency to adopt vermicomposting as another method of managing organic matter for pathogen reduction.”

41. UP-COMING PROJECTS • Negros Occidental Solid Waste Management Board • Vermicomposting • Sustainable Organic Farming • Lemery, Batangas Solid Waste Management Board • Vermicomposting • Sustainable Organic Farming • Mandaue City Council • Vermicomposting • Sustainable Organic Farming

42. OTHER USES OF VERMICOMPOSTING PRODUCTS: • FEEDS • FRESH WORMS • VERMI MEAL • VERMITEA DR. ELAINE R. INGHAM, a soil scientist and President of Soil Foodweb, Inc. and author of “Compost Tea Brewing Manual” defines compost tea as: “a water extract of compost that is brewed, or in other words, the organisms extracted from the compost, the bacteria, fungi, protozoa and nematodes were given a chance to increase in number and activity using soluble food resources and nutrients present in the water”

43. ECOLOGICALLY FRIENDLY VERMICOMPOSTING PRODUCTS • Vermicompost which can be used as: • Fertilizer • Vermitea • Soil amendment • Earthworms which can be used as: • Composters • Animal feeds

44. IN CONCLUSION, EUGENE SAYS ----

45. GIVE IT YOUR BEST SHOT!YOU’VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE BUT YOUR GARBAGE

46. GOOD DAY AND THANK YOU