In this 90-second video, Karen LeGrand of UC Davis shares about a new vermicomposting facility opened in Cambodia. There, she and her team are working to investigate viable varieties of composting worms. Cambodian consumers prefer chemical-free produce, and vermicomposting can be used to improve production without synthetic inputs. So far, her team has identified two varieties of earthworm suitable to Cambodian production. Next, they plan to study different food sources for these worm varieties.

This project is focusing efforts on linking small-landholder farmers to other value chain actors, to connect farmer production with market demand. This effort builds on a previously completed Horticulture Innovation Lab project and integrates with the IPM Innovation Lab and other USAID-funded programs to determine how best to cultivate a sustainable safe vegetable value chain to increase food security in Cambodia.

This video debuted at the 2018 Horticulture Innovation Lab annual meeting in Kigali, Rwanda — where it was presented by Kong Thong of the Royal University of Agriculture.