1. VGRRC: Earthworm production in Ha Tay Province by Susanne Hugo Earthworm production in Ha Tay

2. VGRRC: Earthworm production in Ha Tay Province by Susanne Hugo Ha Tay Province situated in northern Vietnam 2.193 km² 14 Districts Ba Vi National park 7000 ha Population: 2.386.770 Kinh Muong & Dao (ethnic Minorities) Main sources of income: Agriculture, Small Business, Tourism Average per capita income per annum: 70 bis 120 US$ Ha Tay Province Hanoi

3. VGRRC: Earthworm production in Ha Tay Province by Susanne Hugo Ha Tay Province Son Tay and Ba Vi district Son Tay & Ba Vi

4. VGRRC: Earthworm production in Ha Tay Province by Susanne Hugo Who we are Goat and Rabbit Research Centre in Vietnam (VGRRC) founded in 1978 70 scientific and extension staff 64,9 ha 50 ha for trials on fodder production, trial fields, forest and fish ponds VGRRC demonstrates the advantages of integrated farming on site

5. VGRRC: Earthworm production in Ha Tay Province by Susanne Hugo What we do: What we do: Research Extension Training Integrated Farming Systems Improving small animal husbandry techniques (goat, sheep, rabbit, earthworm) Breeding programme Fodder production Renewable energy (biogas)

6. VGRRC: Earthworm production in Ha Tay Province by Susanne Hugo Training courses for subsistence farmers in their villages VGRRC offers training courses for subsistence farmers at VGRRC at their villages Participants of a training course in Van Hoa, November 2002

7. VGRRC: Earthworm production in Ha Tay Province by Susanne Hugo Earthworm lumbricus rubellus Earthworms are a special breed imported from the USA They reproduce best in shady, humid, moderately tempered environments Worms mature after one month, but it takes up to six months until they reach their full size.

8. VGRRC: Earthworm production in Ha Tay Province by Susanne HugoProduction oA culture can be started with 1kg worm per m² wormbed. oEarthworms must mate to reproduce, even though one earthworm contains both male and female reproductive organs. oEggs are laid in a cocoon that incubates them. oEggs develop into tiny worms in the cocoon and crawl out through one after three to five weeks. oEggs are laid on top of the ground at one-month intervals, with each egg capsule containing 5 to 15 baby worms. oThey will be ready for harvesting in about five months and continuing thereafter with proper care.

9. VGRRC: Earthworm production in Ha Tay Province by Susanne Hugo Results achieved so far are based on simple low-cost technologies and on training. The main beneficiaries are small-scale women farmers who not only carry out much of the work at farm level but who were and continue to be the processors and marketers of their high quality products. Earthworm production has been tested for a couple of years at VGRRC’s premises. Now the new technology is successfully adopted by by local farmers. Earthworms are a high protein feedstuff produced on-farm for poultry (chicken & ducks) and fish. Compost can be used as almost pathogen free, high quality fertilizer in the house gardens. First steps towards marketing compost have been taken.

10. VGRRC: Earthworm production in Ha Tay Province by Susanne Hugo Production unit The production unit consists of a flat bed made from bricks and concrete or stamped earth It is supplied with adequate drainage Earthworms must be protected from predators and heavy rains

11. VGRRC: Earthworm production in Ha Tay Province by Susanne Hugo The worm bed VGRRC recommends to raise earthworms in worm beds consisting of 90% goat and rabbit manure mixed with 10% soil. Unlike traditional systems, no additional organic material is needed

12. VGRRC: Earthworm production in Ha Tay Province by Susanne Hugo Earthworm production on-farm This ethnic minority farmer has recently started earthworm production. Cover and roof are made from bamboo She uses the earthworms to supply her scavenging chicken with protein rich feedstuff The compost is used to fertilize fruit trees in her house garden

13. VGRRC: Earthworm production in Ha Tay Province by Susanne Hugo You can find us in the WWW: For example at: http://www.fao.org/ag/aga/agap/lps/dairy/fdp/vietnam.htm http://www.kehlbach.de/ or contact by e-mail: binhbavi@netnam.vnbinhbavi@netnam.vn by Telephone: 0084 (0) 34 838 341 via Fax: 0084 (0) 34 838 889