Could earthworms help transform the future of farming?
Worms are not the cutest of creatures. They\u2019re slimy, often associated with death and tend to bring on feelings of disgust in many of us. But listener Dinesh thinks they\u2019re underrated and wants to know whether earthworms could be the key to our planet\u2019s future agricultural success? He\u2019s an organic farmer in India\u2019s Tamil Nadu province who grows these annelids to add to the soil, and he wants Crowdscience to find out exactly what they\u2019re doing.
Anand Jagatia dons his gardening gloves and digs the dirt on these remarkable creatures, discovering how they can help improve soil quality, prevent fields from becoming waterlogged, and improve microbial numbers, all of which has the potential to increase crop yield.
But he also investigates the so-called \u2018earthworm dilemma\u2019 and the idea that in some parts of the world, boreal forest worms are releasing carbon back into the atmosphere, which could have dangerous consequences for climate change.
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