GREEN REVOLUTION AND GOLDEN EARTHWORMS THAT ARE MISSING FROM THE REALM OF LIFE

GREEN REVOLUTION AND GOLDEN EARTHWORMS

THAT ARE MISSING FROM THE REALM OF LIFE

Oleh Ni Luh Kartini

Lecturer in Agroecotechnology Study Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Udayana University

Green revolution for 50 years has taught a high technology oriented approach and is full of synthetic chemistry to obtain high yields / production without looking at other aspects such as ecology, traditional systems, local resources, local potential and local wisdom that farmers have understood for generations. This condition has changed the system in almost all sub-sectors, so that it really causes farmers to change their playset, way of thinking, and farming culture. This change is followed by a change in the behavior of farmers who see a piece of land is a factory that can be maximized without seeing the land is a very complex ecosystem, finally Farmers are increasingly leaving the concept of nature and getting away from nature. Green revolution has been able to show a high level of productivity with the achievement of self-sufficiency in rice in 1984. This causes farmers to trust and be lulled so that they are asleep with what has been achieved. Experts in agriculture, health experts, people concerned about the environment and affected farmers are beginning to feel the negative impact on the productivity of agricultural natural resources and biodiversity as well as on health. The green revolution has changed the Indonesian agricultural system quite dramatically. Indonesia's agricultural system was originally multi-system, traditional, energy efficient, and has a very high level of harmony with nature, now it has been abandoned.

        At present the Indonesian agricultural system is dominated by mono-systems that are considered more advanced and high-producing even though absorbing energy with higher input costs and increasingly damaging agricultural natural resources (SDAP). This system does not reduce, but increase the element of risk and the element of uncertainty as a result of the magnitude of environmental changes that are increasingly out of control that causes environmental damage, and loss of life resources on this earth.

 Some of the impacts of conventional farming systems on the environment include the following:

1. Surface soil erosion from agricultural land caused by continuous tillage and crop production results in extensive soil degradation and also results in pollution of surface and ground water.

2. High rainfall will easily wash away fertilizers and pesticides so that it will disrupt the environmental balance in rivers, lakes, coastal areas and oceans. Eutrification events and water weed population eruptions can change the equilibrium conditions of aquatic communities that are detrimental to fishing activities.

3. Excessive P fertilization can upset the balance of soil organisms, killing coral reefs as barriers between the sea and land.

4. Pesticide residues in the environment such as in surface and ground water and in plants are very dangerous to public health. People who consume foodstuffs that contain pesticide residues can be threatened with acute poisoning or chronic poisoning. Pesticide residues that enter the river and carry to the sea negatively affect the presence of fish communities on rivers and on coral reefs.

5. The use of urea fertilizer in rice fields and other agricultural land can produce methane gas, N2O, and ammonia. These gases have a role in the effects of greenhouse gases and damage to the ozone layer in the stratosphere which increases the surface temperature of the earth.

6. The reduced use of organic fertilizers causes reduced levels of soil organic matter which should be 5%, which is currently for paddy soil has reached 1% so that the biota balance in the soil is disrupted and the physical, chemical, biochemical, and biophysical reactions in the soil are also disrupted.

7. Farmers forget about the local potential that they have without maintaining and maintaining it because they are considered to have no economic value.

8. Farmers become very dependent on the factory as a provider of fertilizers, pesticides, seeds, and others.

9. Farmer's behavior becomes consumptive.

10. Loss of local seeds that are highly adapted to the environment.

11. Loss of biodiversity such as earthworms that has the potential to preserve SDAP productivity.

12. Loss of soil fertility (loss of macro and micro nutrients in the soil) so that it affects the health quality of all life on this earth.

13. Climate change and global warming because conventional agriculture contributes to CO2 emissions.

        The impact of the green revolution is to cut the chain of life in nature, so that a cycle cannot go on as before, which causes the defenses of living creatures on the earth to become weak. Issues concerning agricultural natural resources are not so much a concern of all parties so that the organic farming system is very difficult to get a place in the hearts of the people, because various kinds of accusations and questions arise such as Organic Agriculture is anti-technology, organic farming is ancient / not modern agriculture, does organic agriculture have high productivity? can organic agriculture meet food needs that are continuously increasing in tune with population growth? Very rarely the question arises whether conventional agricultural systems loaded with technology that only aims at maximum results overriding other objectives (environmental factors, biodiversity, conservation, safety and agricultural sustainability) will be able to guarantee food security in a sustainable manner? The technology developed in organic farming is environmentally friendly technology that always puts local wisdom forward. There are several applications of technology in organic agriculture such as earthworm technology as an organic fertilizer factory, earthworms as biological fertilizer, mycorrhizal technology, Rhizobium technology, SRI system, intercropping system development etc. This shows that the organic farming system technology continues to develop, which needs to be emphasized is whether anyone wants to pursue and explore that technology? Today there are very few agricultural experts who favor organic farming, this happens because there are limited sources of funds that are willing to finance research on organic agriculture. The development of organic farming will greatly affect the development of soil competitiveness in tanha because earthworms are very sensitive to poisons.

        Earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus) are often called the bowels of the earth because all beneficial microorganisms are present in the stomachs of earthworms. Earthworms that look very weak but have strength that exceeds all the forces that exist on this earth, namely the power to change all forms of organic matter in a moment into fertile soil and other strengths. Earthworms including soft animals in nature there are 1800 species, but only a small portion can be utilized. Earthworms, including animals that are very complex because each type of earthworm has a specific habitat. This causes each type of earthworm will survive in their respective habitats. Earthworms can live well at pH 6 to 7.2, humidity 12.5 to 17.5 and temperatures 15 to 31 oC. There are 1800 species of earthworms in nature, but only a few species are cultivated, such as Lumbricus rubellus which can be a compost factory that has the ability to eat organic matter as heavy as its own body every 24 hours so it is often given the nickname of a weak but powerful creature. There are several expressions about earthworms such as the world without earthworms becoming arid. Besides earthworms as a natural fertilizer factory as well as animal feed and as a very effective medicine, because they contain very high protein and essential amino acids that are complete and contain the enzyme lumbrikunase. The quality of organic fertilizers is largely determined by the raw materials, the manufacturing process and the packaging.

        Prehistoric times earthworms have become a concern in this life, this is evident in several writings that Queen Cleopatra was said to be beautiful and healthy by earthworms so that Queen Cleopatra was very protected by earthworms, no one could touch and move because of earthworms considered a "God of Fertility". The artists of that era also used earthworms in their inspiration such as writing poetry "A world without earthworms would be barren without life". Since time immemorial, our ancestors have used earthworms in all aspects of daily life, but have not been realized either directly or indirectly. Earthworms can be used as: (1). Indicator of soil fertility of agricultural land (Plants), (2). Animal feed (animals) (3) Heat-lowering drugs, etc. (humans). The writer since childhood (in 1969) has been interested in paying attention to the life of earthworms with their ecosystem. Live earthworms in the land, live earthworms in landfills or in landfills - leftover food from the kitchen, earthworms live on river banks and earthworms live in rice fields. Earthworms, when examined closely, have very distinct differences according to their species, but wherever they are, they always live in areas with high organic matter. The author knows this because he was given the task of carrying household trash and kitchen ash every day to go to the rice fields before going to school, as well as raising ducks (shepherd ducks) after coming from school. The author is very impressed to pay attention to ecosystems and food chains that occur in nature at that time, where there are earthworms in fertile soil (dark loose, solum in etc.), plants thrive and healthy, animals that live nearby are also eating earthworms such as ducks, mice , frogs, birds, chickens, etc., also look healthy and for laying animals the percentage of laying eggs is high even at that time the power of duck eggs up to 90%. The author can not understand why snakes live around it is very good growth and looks

very healthy but the author has never seen a snake eat earthworms but it turns out that frogs eat earthworms toad eaten by snakes (food chains). At that time the authors also pay attention to the health of themselves, family (parents and younger siblings) and the health of the surrounding community is very good, they died mostly because of old age (age 90 years and over).

This condition has changed after the change in the agricultural system from traditional agriculture to conventional agriculture. The use of synthetic chemicals in agriculture began in the 1970s when earthworms were slaughtered. The author witnessed how the earthworm died by urea fertilizer with a very touched and melancholy feeling because it occurred to me in the writer's mind that a duck will not be able to worm so it cannot lay eggs properly. Chemical fertilizers are stocked in paddy fields causing earthworms to move to the side to save themselves but not to the side since the urea fertilizer was stocked and the arrival of superior seeds, pesticides (DDT, Diasinon, and endrin etc.) until now. Earthworms are very sensitive to chemicals, so that the earliest earthworms decrease in the soil after that is followed by the loss of other life in the soil.

               Modern farming systems that are loaded with superior seeds and chemicals have caused:

1. Forgetting the use of organic matter, has a very fatal effect on the health of all life on this earth

2. Forgetting that there is a very important life like earthworms in the ground to support life on this earth,

3. Forgetting that soil is an ecosystem including earthworms that work together to support life on this earth

4. Forgetting that on this earth there is a cycle of life, one of which does not exist, will affect the balance of the other including all existing life.

5. Forgetting that all all reactions that occur in the soil must be supported by the life in them both microorganisms and macroorganisms

The author observes and feels, the slaughter of earthworms slowly has an impact, which is felt is the power of duck eggs decreases (in the 1970s, several food chain breaks, decreased soil fertility, very influential on plant growth, changes in ecosystems and finally now strongly felt the health of plants, animals and humans is greatly decreased.

This causes the writer to be very intense in observing and studying earthworms on all aspects of life on earth both in plants, animals and in humans. Through this opportunity the author wants to convey that how big the role of earthworms in life on earth. The loss of earthworms from the soil is identical to the gold lost from the natural world of life