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.
