Earthworms - "friends" of farmers

I have a friend who agreed to quit his mechanical engineering job from Saigon to return to his hometown in Thanh Mien district to do organic farming. When I visited him in early spring, I was surprised to see that the once-wild fields had become lush gardens of tomatoes, cucumbers, and radishes. Taking me to visit the garden, he suddenly asked:

- Can I write a letter to Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan about the situation of earthworm extermination?

He said that around Tet, he saw a lot of groups and associations posting information about buying and selling earthworms at high prices. They even advertised earthworm catching machines. He was worried that if the “friend” of farmers was wiped out and the natural “machines” that improve the soil for free were no longer available, people like him who wanted to get rich from agriculture would face difficulties.

The story of “worm thieves” seemed to have calmed down when many agencies, departments and branches across the country stepped in to propagate and inspect. Even the Department of Natural Resources and Environment of Hoa Binh province based on Article 15 of Decree 91/2019/ND-CP regulating cases of terrain deformation or soil quality degradation to punish “worm thieves” with a fine of more than 100 million VND. The story of the extermination of earthworms made my friend intend to send a letter to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Le Minh Hoan, which made many people think.

Why do people hunt for earthworms? I learned that in recent years, in many places in China, earthworms have become raw materials for making traditional Chinese medicine and functional foods. Many Chinese people even consider earthworms a “delicacy” that can help improve health. Where there is demand, there is supply. To meet the needs of Chinese traders, many Vietnamese people have dug for earthworms to sell. From catching earthworms by hand, many people now use machines called “earthworm machines” to exterminate this type of creature.

For many Vietnamese farmers, earthworms are friends. According to scientists, earthworms can help recycle organic matter by digesting dead plants and animals, excreting them as nutrient-rich manure. Earthworms can recycle up to 20 tons of organic matter per hectare per year, thereby helping to improve soil fertility and productivity.

What would happen to the land if all the earthworms were caught? The land would certainly become barren, and many areas with good, fertile crops would gradually decline because of the disappearance of earthworms. Nature's "soil-making machine" that helps farmers improve their soil for free every year needs to be protected.

According to information from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Hai Duong has not seen any cases of people catching earthworms for sale or using earthworm machines to eradicate these animals. Hai Duong is home to vegetable and rice fields. Many Hai Duong agricultural products are famous domestically and have been exported to many places around the world. With such agricultural areas, it is necessary to care for, protect, and increase the life of the soil, and it is also necessary to protect earthworms.

In addition to saying no to the extermination of earthworms, farmers also need to pay attention to protecting the ecological environment for beneficial organisms to live in. For example, gradually reducing the amount of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, increasing organic fertilizers and biological pesticides, and building a suitable cultivation process so that the soil can rest will help the soil to be good and the ecological environment to be balanced, and earthworms will also have an environment to grow and develop.

The trend of green, clean, circular agriculture is gradually becoming popular. Therefore, earthworms will help farmers implement this farming trend. Green, clean production, associated with biodiversity protection, is also a way for Hai Duong farmers to protect their own assets in the long term and sustainably.