King Cinnamon

That's the nickname people gave to Le Minh Vuong, a young man working in his hometown of Ninh Hai, Ninh Thuan.

For over 10 years, Le Minh Vuong has been passionately pursuing his research on earthworms and the production of organic microbial fertilizers, with the aspiration to contribute to building a clean, sustainable, and environmentally friendly agricultural system.

Coming from a farming family, images of rice fields, rice plants, buffaloes plowing, and especially earthworms are not unfamiliar to Le Minh Vuong. His childhood memories include sleepless afternoons spent digging for earthworms with his friends to use as bait for fishing… Later, in university, a lecturer mentioned earthworms for processing organic waste, highlighting their immense value to the environment and agriculture, and Vuong was intensely fascinated by this tiny creature.

A loyal love for earthworms.

In 2012, while still a second-year student, Vuong conducted a scientific research project titled "Rehabilitating and treating whiteleg shrimp pond sludge for earthworm farming and producing organic fertilizer." Afterward, Vuong transferred the technology to shrimp farmers in Can Gio, Kien Giang , Ben Tre, and Quang Ngai, helping them rehabilitate and reuse polluted pond sludge as microbial organic fertilizer for growing vegetables.

For over 10 years, Vuong has been passionately pursuing his research on earthworms and the production of organic microbial fertilizers. (PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR)

After the joy of helping farmers, Vuong resolved to pursue the goal of creating practical value for Vietnamese agriculture. Despite the hardships of student life, Vuong diligently traveled back and forth between Ho Chi Minh City and rural areas, especially Cu Chi district – the capital of earthworm farming – to learn from and observe the experiences of local farmers. The student also frequently used earthworms as the subject of his projects in environmental competitions, winning several awards. Vuong also created the "Elite Generation" Facebook page with the hope of gathering young people passionate about scientific research to collaborate and realize ideas for a greener environment.

Speaking passionately about earthworms, Le Minh Vuong said: "I believe that in the future, people will change their mindset and farming practices, shifting from the overuse of chemicals to clean agriculture to produce clean, safe food that is healthy and environmentally friendly. Earthworms will play a crucial role in this ecosystem, through processing organic waste to protect the environment and providing microbial organic fertilizer for clean agriculture."

The result is food that is clean, safe for health, and environmentally friendly.

PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR

Embarking on this path, the young man faced numerous difficulties due to the limited availability of information about earthworms in Vietnam and his own limited financial resources. However, with strong determination, Vuong researched foreign materials, discovering that earthworm castings have many uses in agriculture, such as: providing macro, micro, and trace nutrients to plants; retaining soil moisture; providing beneficial microorganisms to protect plant roots and loosening the soil. Furthermore, earthworm castings contain many cocoons that hatch into young earthworms, which continue to supply the soil with a large quantity of earthworms to loosen it and process insoluble organic matter into soluble materials…

Throughout his years pursuing his passion, all the knowledge about earthworms gained from research and learning from the experience of his predecessors has been compiled into the book " Applied Circular Agriculture," edited by Le Minh Vuong himself. This brainchild of his was born with the motto "everyone knows and does it together," hoping that organic, microbial earthworm farming will be present everywhere to serve sustainable agriculture.

Le Minh Vuong introduces the book " Applied Circular Agriculture," which he edited. PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR

According to the book, raising earthworms is not difficult and is suitable for everyone, from small households to large-scale agricultural farms. Basic requirements for raising earthworms include: readily available sources of livestock manure or agricultural by-products, organic waste, well-ventilated, dark, and flood-free enclosures, and a source of healthy, high-quality parent biomass...

Promoting the circular agriculture mindset.

Having invested considerable time and effort in researching, producing, and marketing earthworm-based products, Le Minh Vuong's entrepreneurial journey has been fraught with difficulties. However, he doesn't keep his expertise to himself; instead, he is always willing and proactive in sharing earthworm farming techniques with local farmers through numerous training sessions.

Vuong's "Sun and Wind Farm" is always open to welcome visitors and local farmers to experience and learn. PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR

Vuong and his colleagues launched a circular agriculture project – "Sun and Wind Farm" – which is always open to visitors and farmers for experience and learning. Visitors can tour the farm growing grapes, apples, guavas, cantaloupes, and aloe vera, combined with large-scale livestock farming that meets Global GAP standards. The farm operates a closed-loop circular system, utilizing organic waste, agricultural by-products, and animal manure to produce organic microbial fertilizers and raise earthworms. The project aims to spread the message of building and developing sustainable agriculture based on safe and environmentally friendly solutions for consumer health.

Le Minh Vuong received a letter of commendation from the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Le Minh Hoan (now Vice Chairman of the National Assembly). PHOTO: PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR

With this project, Le Minh Vuong won first prize in the Ninh Thuan Startup Project Competition in 2023 and an encouragement award in the National Rural Youth Startup Competition organized by the Central Youth Union. In November 2023, Le Minh Vuong received a letter of commendation from the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Le Minh Hoan (now Vice Chairman of the National Assembly).

The project's flagship products, and the "brainchild" of Vuong's many years of research and production, include: localized IMO microorganisms in liquid and powder form; aloe vera GE and banana GE (bionutrients for plants); organic microbial fertilizers from earthworms, earthworm extract, and earthworm products; Alonutri Pro bionutrient for aloe vera plants… More uniquely, Vuong recently launched a product called "frozen earthworms." Thanks to deep-freezing technology, valuable compounds such as biological proteins, enzymes, minerals, and amino acids are preserved intact; it is easy to store, does not spoil like fresh earthworms, and provides a year-round supply of raw materials.

Vuong said: "Every time I harvest worm castings from my garden, my heart feels rekindled. Seeing each batch of fine, high-quality castings with the earthworm's characteristic pungent smell tells me that all the days of caring for the worm colony have been worth it. Even more rewarding is knowing that when I package the worm castings, this gift from the earth will reach dedicated farmers, contributing to the cultivation of hundreds of hectares of clean vegetables, fruit orchards, and organic vegetable gardens everywhere."

The country is entering a new era, demanding the development of ecological agriculture, modern rural areas, and civilized farmers. On this journey, we desperately need role models like Le Minh Vuong, who dare to think, dare to act, dare to master knowledge, and dedicate all their passion to pursuing green, clean, and sustainable agriculture for the health of the community. Because organic farming is ethical farming, contributing to positioning and enhancing the brand of Vietnamese agricultural products on the world agricultural map.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vuong-trun-que-185251003152639465.htm