The earthworm could save civilisation

The earthworm could save civilisation

March 16, 2014

The humble earthworm could hold the key to increased food production throughout the world.

A world authority on soil science is calling for a third agricultural revolution to meet the challenge of feeding the world by the year 2050 and says the earthworm could play a crucial role.

Earthworms are an integral element of healthy soil which is needed to grow more food and feed more people.

Soil scientist, Dr John Baker, says the single greatest challenge facing the world today is feeding the extra 50 percent population by the year 2050 and “if we feed earthworms, they’ll feed the people.”

He doesn’t mean people should start eating earthworms but only four percent of the world’s surface has arable soil and that’s not likely to increase significantly “unless we farm it more sustainably which we simply haven’t been doing,” Dr Baker says.

Enter the earthworm. It contributes to drainage through its burrowing, it transfers fertility from deep in the soil to closer to the surface where plants can use it, it binds the soil together and its worm casts are highly fertile.”

The earthworm, beloved as a juicy snack by every bird in the sky, is more multi-functional than Steve Jobs’ computer. And its value to the soil doesn’t end there. It passes the soil through its digestive system and extracts the nutrients including carbon which feeds almost all the other biology in the soil.

“Earthworms are the most visible indicators of soil health,” John Baker says.

But the problem is there’s seldom enough of them because conventional tillage has reduced their number. Not only does ploughing kill them off but it oxidises the carbon that’s already in the soil and releases it as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

“Up to 20 percent of all CO2 in the atmosphere comes from tillage in the soil,” he says.

“In some soils you’d be lucky to find one earthworm in a spade full of dirt. What must be done is recreate an environment where earthworm numbers can increase,” he says.

Dr Baker, who was a finalist in the 2013 World Food Prize, says when the soil biological activity increases, crop yields will increase, food will become more plentiful and world production will become more sustainable.

However he warns that won’t occur with continued traditional tillage which oxidises the carbon, contributes to crop failure and soil erosion and eventually famine and drought in areas of the world.

Dr Baker, who has a MAgrSc in soil science and Ph.D in agricultural engineering, has long advocated the use of low disturbance, no-tillage machines. Following 30 years of research at Massey University, he has developed Cross Slot no-tillage drills which penetrate through crop residue or vegetation on top of the soil and sow seed and fertiliser in separate bands beneath it at the same time.

The process causes minimal disturbance to the soil, traps the humidity, preserves the micro-organisms and soil life and largely prevents carbon from escaping. Further, by leaving the stubble and straw from the previous crop to decompose on the surface of the ground, it helps sequester new carbon in the soil.

And it’s top of the Earthworm Emmy Awards. In fact Dr Baker says everyone who believes in reincarnation should return as an earthworm. He’s seen earthworm numbers double in New Zealand after just one year of low-disturbance no-tillage.

He explains that no-tillage is the equivalent of keyhole surgery as opposed to ploughing which is invasive surgery.

As evidence Dr Baker points to Brazil and Argentine which has seen spectacular increases in productivity over 30 years due to no-tillage which is now used by three-quarters of those countries’ farmers. He predicts that anyone changing to low disturbance no-tillage will see a significant difference in the first year as earthworms procreate and soil health increases.

“The first agricultural revolution occurred in Britain from the 15th to the 19th century where farmers broke the historical food scarcity cycles by developing ways of improving arable land. It led to the introduction of new crops such as potatoes and corn,” he comments.

“The second agricultural revolution – The Green Revolution – was led by Norman Borlaug in the 20th century. It improved the yields of cereals with genetics that had a huge effect because 70 percent of the world’s food comes from cereals.

“Now we see a third revolution underway where increasing the production of food through improved soil biology will spin off from the use of new technology. The aim is to allow the world to feed itself and other revolutions that accompany it, such as IT and biomedical, to flourish to benefit mankind.”

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