ABSTRACT

Traditionally, certain species of earthworms have been bred for fish bait in a wide range of different organic wastes. Since 1978, there has been increasing interest in possible methods of processing organic wastes using earthworms to produce valuable soil additives and protein for animal feed. This interest has resulted in a series of conferences aimed at reviewing and promoting such pro­ cesses. The first of these, titled “Utilization of Soil Organisms in Sludge Man­ agement” (Hartenstein 1978), held in Syracuse, New York, U.S.A., focused on the processing of sewage sludge by earthworms, as did the second, a “Workshop

on the Role of Earthworms in the Stabilization of Organic Residues” (Appelhof 1981), held in Kalamazoo, Michigan, U.S.A. These were followed by an “Inter­ national Symposium on Agricultural Prospects in Earthworm Farming” (Tornati and Grappelli 1983), held in Rome, Italy, and the largest, a “Symposium on the Use of Earthworms in Waste Management and Environmental Management” (Edwards andNeuhauser 1988), held in Cambridge, U.K. Additionally, sessions on earthworms and waste management have been held at International Earth­ worm Symposia in Bologna, Italy, in 1985 (Pagliai and Omodeo 1987); Avignon, France, in 1990 (Kretschmar 1992); and Columbus, Ohio, U.S.A in 1994 (Edwards 1997).