Small Scale Mushroom Farming Business at Home in Pakistan

INTRODUCTION

People are finding organic farming fascinating due to less to no use of chemical fertilizers. Sustainable practices do include growing food at your home. How is this possible? You can read further details here: Rooftop Vegetation and Vertical Gardening – Solution to Self-Sustenance

MUSHROOMS

Mushrooms are actually edible fungus and it is described as a fruiting body that grows on its food medium, above the soil or ground.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF MUSHROOMS

Mushrooms have numerous health benefits and eating mushrooms or including them in the diet is considered healthy eating.

1. They are a good source of protein, fiber, and have antioxidant properties.

2. They prevent developing serious health complications such as diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases.

3. They are good for the brain and reduce the risk of neurological problems.

4. They help in losing weight because they are free of gluten.

5. They are a good source of selenium that is important for the immune system.

Also check out: What is Biodynamic Farming? – Methods and Advantages

SMALL SCALE MUSHROOM FARMING AT HOME IN PAKISTAN

Small-scale mushroom farming holds several economical benefits. People can easily grow mushrooms at home in Pakistan due to favorable weather conditions. Growing mushroom at home is a step towards self-sustenance. Also check out: Hydroponics – The Future of Agriculture?

SMALL SCALE MUSHROOM FARMING

Small-scale mushroom farming could be defined as the business of growing mushrooms at home. Fungiculture is a term used for the cultivation of fungi along with mushrooms that provides medicine, food, etc.

METHOD OF MUSHROOM FARMING IN PAKISTAN

There are various methods of growing mushrooms at home. Here the simplest method is described so that people can gain insight into how easy it could be to actually start small-scale mushroom farming.

The basic things necessary for small-scale mushroom farming are plastic bags or containers, mushroom spawns (seeds), and sawdust. These things will be required to grow mushrooms at home. The method of growing mushrooms differs for the kind of edible fungi being grown. The easiest variety is oyster mushrooms that requires little maintenance.

Method Steps / Process Of Growing Mushrooms At Home

• Take sawdust and sterilize it. You can sterilize sawdust by pouring hot water and washing it thoroughly with boiling water or simply boiling it for a few minutes in water. Sterilization is necessary to clean off microorganisms. After this step, leave it for overnight to let it dry.
• Inoculate the sterilized substrate with mushroom spawn into the container and spread it over a large surface utensil/container. Put this setup in a dark room with a temperature near to 19-21 °C for more or less three weeks. This period is required for complete mycelia spread into the substrate. In simple words, put the sterilized sawdust into a plastic bag (poke holes in the plastic bags to give the mushrooms a space to come out of) or container and then spread some spawn onto it. Leave it in a dark room like store room and leave it there for 3 weeks, checking up on it after every few days.
• After that period place the covered setup in a moist and dark environment with a temperature of less than 19 °C that is necessary for the growth of mushrooms.
• You can check periodically to observe growth.

Check out: 10 Plants That You Can Grow In Water At Home

For detailed guidelines with steps, check out:

Easy Mushroom Farming at Home in Pakistan -Step by Step Guide

IMPORTANCE AND BENEFITS OF SMALL SCALE MUSHROOM FARMING

Small-scale mushroom farming has great significance and benefits for people who are looking for livelihoods.

• It requires less investment and the yield is high.
• Easy and cheap food source available at home.
• Women who stay at home can start and earn through small-scale mushroom farming.
• It has the potential for good business that people can depend on for livelihoods.
• Small-scale Mushroom farming gives a faster yield of nutrient-rich food.
• Farmers can opt for viable small-scale mushroom farming because it doesn’t require large land areas but a single small room at home.
• Individual-level income can be improved through small-scale mushroom farming.

You might also like: 7 Easy Vegetables To Farm At Home In Pakistan

CONCLUSION

Let’s take a quick look around the globe. The human population is increasing, environmental issues are growing, and COVID-19 has resulted in an increased rate of unemployment. A huge portion of youth is sitting futile at home. In such a scenario, people should adopt ways that could help them generate income with less investment. Small-scale mushroom farming is one of the solutions to self-sustenance. The youth in Pakistan has the potential and can start from the small-scale business.

Also check out: 15 Easy Ways To Make Your Home Environmental Friendly/Green

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