Pacific Organic & Ethical Trade Community - Slice from Cuba

Use of biological agents such as earthworms and mycorrhizal fungi to improve or maintain soil health. Recently five of us from the Pacific made a trip to Cuba to learn about their urban/organic agricultural practices. The trip was organised by POETCom and funded by the UNDP Small Grants Program (SGP). Mr Johnson Ladota and I represented the Solomon Islands in this trip. The trip included a mixture of lectures and field visits to various farms, including a nursery. We learned a lot of things during this trip. However, one thing that impressed me most is their use of biological agents to improve and/or maintain soil health and therefore plant health. In particular, the use of earthworms or vermi-culture in the production of nutrient-rich composts, and the use of mycorrhizal or root fungi to increase the roots’ capacity to absorb nutrients and water. 

The Cubans use two species of earthworms in composting animal manure, especially cow manure. These are the African crawler and Californian worm. These two species are said to adapt well to the warm climatic conditions of Cuba. They raise these worms in specially made cement wells such as shown in Fig 1. Vermi-composting can be carried out under a roof or under shade, such as under a grove of neem trees. This is because the worms want a dark, cool and moist environment. Vermi-composting involves introducing about 1 kg of worms (Fig 2) into a layer of manure, and adding a fresh layer of cow manure each time until you reach the level of the tank or well about 05 -1.0m high. The vermi-compost is ready for use after three months. The vermi-compost is then mixed with 25% rice husk and 25% soil or compost from aerobic composting before use in a nursery or applied to the field.

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