ROLES PLAYED BY MUSHROOM CULTIVATION IN POVERTY,MALNUTRITION AND UNEMPLOYMENT REDUCTION.

ROLES PLAYED BY MUSHROOM CULTIVATION IN POVERTY,MALNUTRITION AND UNEMPLOYMENT REDUCTION.

Mushroom cultivation in Tanzania could help reduce vulnerability to poverty, malnutrition, unemployment problem by strengthening economic livelihoods through the generation of fast yielding and nutritious source of food and reliable source of income. Since mushroom does not require big space of land, empty house, temporary clean shed, garage, etc could be used. It also does not need rain, sun for its growth, it is a viable and attractive activity for both rural farmers and urban dwellers. Small scale mushroom farmer does not require any significant big capital investment but lucrative and fast return. Mushroom substrates could be prepared from any agricultural waste materials like straw from rice, maize sorghum, banana leaves, sugarcane leaves and bagasse, water hyacinth, grasses, cotton waste, sawdust etc. Mushroom cultivation could be done on a part time basis and require little maintenance. Indirectly, mushroom cultivation also provides opportunities for improving the sustainability of small farming systems through the recycling of organic matter which can be used as a growing substrate, and then returned to the land as fertilizer or compost. Through the provision of income and improved nutrition, successful cultivation and trade in mushrooms can strengthen livelihood assets, which can not only reduce vulnerability to shocks, but enhance and individual’s and a community’s capacity to act upon other economic opportunity.

  Mushrooms serve as a delicious foodstuff and also a source of food flavoring substances to staple food which is nutritious food that forms the basis of a traditional diet, particularly that of the poor in Tanzania. Mushrooms are often considered to provide a fair substitute for meat(chicken, pork and beef), with at least a comparable nutritional value to many vegetables. The consumption of mushroom can make a valuable addition to the often unbalanced diets like malnutrition due to lack of protein.
 They are a good source of vitamin B, C and D, including niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, and folate, and various minerals including potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and selenium(an excellent antioxidant. They provide high fiber but low in carbohydrate and fat and contain no starch and low in sodium. Furthermore, edible mushrooms are an excellent source of high quality protein (reportedly between 19 -45 percent), like straw mushroom contains more protein than soya beans.
 Mushroom cultivation activities in Tanzania will play an important role in supporting the local economy by contributing to subsistence food security, nutrition, and medicine, generating additional employment and income through local, regional and national trade and offering opportunities for processing enterprises such as pickling, sorting and drying.

Mamaland Mushroom Farm(2015).
E-Mail:-Mamalandmushroomproject@gmail.com,
Phone:+2550682757566/+255752007108.
Twitter/Facebook/Linkedin/Google+:Mamaland mushroom farm. Blog:Mamalandmushroomproject.blogspot.com 

-Fight Back Against Malnutrition,Save Lives. Mushroom is Therapy. #Mushroom_Is_Therapy.