Why don’t they cut out the middle worm and eat the plants?
I have no idea but the worms are not on my list of edibles.
Could be they are working on a self-contained eco-system. Its the only way humans will be able to colonize space.
Maybe use plants to recycle CO2 and other human waste, worms to convert plant waste to plant nutrients. Veggies for veggies, excess worms for meat.