VERMICOMPOSTING: Earthworms help replenish the soil’s minerals

Vermicomposting, the process of turning earthworm excreta – vermicast – into organic fertilizer. is a low cost, low tech, brilliantly natural procedure that results in "the ultimate compost," as Pamela Henares, president of Buro Buro Springs Vermi Farm, likes to refer to the miracle fertilizer.

Using vermicast fertilizer replenishes the soil’s minerals, restoring its health. And, making productive use of garbage, vermicomposting makes way for a healthier, cleaner, life cycle entirely.

"We give back to the earth what belongs to the earth and we co-create with God in restoring the land to its original justice," Henares comments. "Garbage is about 70-80 percent organic and this goes to the garbage dumps. The earth needs it because the land is getting more sterile due to the lack of organic matter."

The benefits of using vermicast include longer shelf life, better tasting and greater quantity produce. And yet this miracle fertilizer, developed by Buro Buro Farms, continuing the work of Dr. Rafael Guerrero III, goes beyond fertilizing to healing the soil, healing the earth.

Farms all over the country are benefiting from vermicomposting – farms in provinces such as Bohol, Bukidnon, and Cebu. And just recently, Buro Buro Farms entered into a partnership with Leisure Farms Tagaytay, a 116-hectare agro-tourism development in Lemery, Batangas, which now makes wide use of Buro Buro’s vermicomposting system in its demo farms, with very visible results, bountiful, quality produce.

The farm is owned and operated by Henares family who sees farming as more than a business. "We are firm believers in renewing the land, in taking care of people through the land and ... that we are not owners but stewards merely," Henares says. Excited about Leisure Farms and what they can accomplish together, she continues, "If Leisure Farms could be a center for learning and spreading what we have been doing ... Leisure Farms and Buro-Buro Farms can truly make an impact."