Mushroom farming sprouts a better livelihood for tribal women

The forest department's programme to encourage locals, especially the women, for mushroom cultivation is reaping rich dividend for the farmers in Dangs.

The programme covers 405 participants, mostly women, in almost all the villages of Dangs. Chetan Mistry, who trains the women farmers in mushroom cultivation and associated with the Navsari Agricultural University, said mushroom farming does not involve much space or investment.

"Currently, the cost is subsidised by the department. But, even if it weren't the average cost of setting up say 20 cylinders (the mushrooms are cultivated in a cylinder like sacks) would come to on an average Rs1500, the mushrooms sell for Rs200 to Rs250 a kg," said Mistry.

Each cylinder starts producing mushrooms fit for cultivation after 20 to 25 days and the cylinders last for three months

He said given that the input cost are so less, a family can gain at least Rs 5,0000 in one cycle (one cycle is of 20 to 25 days). "But if a farmer is an expert he can on an average get 3 to 5 kg of mushroom. This often turns out to be additional income for the women farmers as mushroom farming takes up perhaps at the most just an hour of their time," said Mistry.

He said most of these women have animal husbandry as their main source of income. "The additional money from mushroom farming helps them pay for their children's education and some of them also invest it in their animal husbandry business," said Mistry.

Shubha Khadke, area manager of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (AKRSP) that also facilitated a similar mushroom farming programme of the forest department said 105 female beneficiaries from 10 villages of Dangs have benefitted through the programme.

"The unit cost of the mushroom kit is Rs 8500, of which Rs 5500 is the grant received from the forest and the remaining Rs 3000 is the contribution made by the member," said Khadke.

The mushrooms being cultivated are oyster mushrooms one of the most nutritious ones available.

Dheeraj Mittal, DCF, Dangs South Division said that the programme initially targeted just 100 women through self-help groups. "But the demand for it was such that we upscaled it to cover more women. Of the many things, we decided on mushrooms because it requires low manpower and other resources," said Mittal. He said the farming is done among a group of 5 to6 women. Now some of the women with help from the forest department has graduated to making value-added products like mushroom soup and biscuits among others.

Mistry said one of the conditions under which the farmers are trained is that they won't involve middlemen in sale of their produce. "Most of them sell it on their own in local markets. So far the response has been good," he said.