S1E3 Anna de la Vega - The Urban Worm CIC

RegenerativeLivelihoodPodcast.com   Today's conversation is with founder, director and 'lead wormologist' at The Urban Worm CIC based in Nottingham, England. Anna talks to us about worm husbandry and the spiritual nourishment she finds from working with the worms every day, and how she has toughed it through tears and lean times to keep the business alive by a deep commitment to justice for farmers and for soil.   Having literally traveled across the world to follow her passion for worms, Anna brings a global context to her very local business. Having started out with an educational aim, as Anna's skills and expertise have grown she has discovered a huge missing gap in the regenerative agriculture supply chain - worm manure - and has begun to supply large British institutions.   As everything she says is gilt with passion, commitment and drive, I can't help but wonder why I'm not a worm composter myself. After all, as we discuss, this sector is seriously underdeveloped in the UK and much of Europe, so business opportunities abound for the right person.   Maybe you'll start wondering why you're not a wormologist yet either. Could this be you? If so, why? If not, why not? The answers to these questions are core to the enquiry here at The Regenerative Livelihood Podcast, as we collectively seek authentic expressions of our true selves through activism and through enterprise.   Quote of the episode: "There's been lots of tears but now...I feel very privileged. I can pay my bills by sharing the love of worms...and I know I'm doing something good!"   Organisations and people mentioned: E. F Schumacher - founder of Practical Action and pioneer of modern green movement Nottinghamshire Community Foundation The School for Social Entrepreneurs Winston Churchill Memorial Trust Fellowship Royal Horticultural Society Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew Rhonda "The Worm Queen" Sherman - The Worm Farmer's Handbook Teruo Higa - Effective Microorgansms Amy Stewart - The Earth Moved   Music credit: Permanent Holiday - Mike Love