Mushroom Cultivation a Boon for Women Livelihood in Rural Villages of Himachal

Mushroom cultivation is becoming boon  for Women in state as many of them are being trained under a JICA project which was launched to diversify the agriculture allied activities in rural and semi-urban areas of Himachal Pradesh.Addl. Pr. CCF & Chief Project Director (JICA) Nagesh Guleria told us that project identified 24 income generation activities for community livelihood development in Self Help Group (SHG) mode with provisions of working capital and revolving fund. The project was started to register improvement in the income generation of woman and farmers under Forest Ecosystems Management & Livelihoods funded by the JICA. Under the programme Women SHGs are adopting technology driven income generation activities for their livelihood in rural areas of State.  Ekta women SHG at Village Kanda, near Ghanahati in the suburbs of Shimla town was oriented for the cultivation of Button Mushroom Cultivation by the staff and experts of JICA. This Forestry Project was started in November 2022 at Kanda  village where subject matter specialist honing the skill of SHG Group by demonstration of Button Mushroom cultivation . Group was also provided 245 seeded compost bags of 10 Kg each in rented room.  Beside this Day to day technical backup was provided by the JICA Forestry Project Experts for the women members of the SHG in production of Button mushroom.  After 25 days of growing button mushroom production under the this project a SHG rmarketed 200 Kg mushroom which is fetching price of Rs.  110-130/Kg with gross return of more than Rs. 20,000/- in one week.  This was the first success of the group in this venture for which they were not trained formally and learned while doing the day to day operations with the guidance of the JICA Forestry Project experts at their demonstration site.  Production will continue further for about two more months and total production of about 500 Kg of gross Rs.  50000/- market value is expected from this SHG demonstration. Women group members expressed their happiness and mentioned that this is very light activity which required only one to two hours daily care for picking, washing, watering and packaging.  Marketing is done locally and demand is very high and selling on cash at demonstration site fresh.  Local population is getting to enjoy locally grown button mushroom that has been cultivated perhaps for the first time in the village by any women groups. Our trial to grow mushroom in SHGs has succeeded says Nagesh Guleria.  He further added that SHGs were provided with Rs.  1,00,000/- Lakh as revolving fund, and technical training at their door step to start this livelihood venture.  JICA project has mandate of organizing more than 700 SHGs in seven districts of the State and orient them for developing and adopting innovative income generation activities for livelihood.  Efforts are in progress to diversify mushroom growing in SHGs with promotion of species of Dhingri and Shiitake Mushroom keeping in view their high demand and easy marketing as dried mushroom. Ms Puja, Pradhan of Ekta SHG, who lives near to the demo room was delighted to share along with other members of the SHGs that they were not having any practical training in growing of Button Mushroom but motivation and day to day help provided by the team of JICA Forestry Project made this possible for

us.  This was the first demo of the mushroom growing in the area and there are many visitors and women from different household interested in the activity.