Make money growing medicinal mushrooms

make money growing medicinal mushrooms

Many people contact us to ask if they can make money growing gourmet mushrooms. We believe growing gourmet mushrooms can be marginally to highly profitable Fungi Perfecti offers professional consultation and technical assistance for the establishment and operation of professional omney cultivation facilities. However, there are mushroosm number of steps we recommend following before arranging for such services. The first would be to familiarize yourself with the techniques and technology of mushroom cultivation; this will enable you to make decisions concerning the scale, species, method of cultivation and other critical considerations of your prospective operation. Both can be found in the Books Section of our online catalog. Between these two books, you will have the most up-to-date information on the cultivation of over 35 different species of edible and medicinal mushrooms, including information on lab and grow room layouts, essential equipment, markets, and. Reading these two books will answer the vast majority of questions about mushroom cultivation. After fully familiarizing yourself with these books and the techniques and equipment they describe both through careful reading and thorough personal experimentationthe next step would be to begin assessing the costs for constructing and maintaining a mushroom farm in your area. Msdicinal the factors the potential mushroom cultivator should consider are:. We are growlng asked what the startup cost would be for a mushroom farm. This question harbors so many variables as to make it jedicinal impossible to answer without a lot of forethought and analysis.

Much more than documents.

Business Ideas Tool. You have found the perfect business idea, and now you are ready to take the next step. There is more to starting a business than just registering it with the state. We have put together this simple step guide to starting your mushroom farm. These steps will ensure that your new business is well planned out, registered properly and legally compliant. A clear plan is essential for success as an entrepreneur. It will help you map out the specifics of your business and discover some unknowns. A few important topics to consider are:. Business owners need a space for growing mushrooms. Business owners should be able to control the temperature, humidity, and light in the space, though. Many business owners already have a space in their home that meets these requirements. The other main upfront costs are buying growing medium and spores, but these are both inexpensive.

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Straw, cardboard used coffee grounds and many other cheap materials can serve as growing mediums. Mushroom spores can be purchased for just a few dollars. The ongoing expenses for a mushroom farm business are minimal. They include new growing material, additional spores, and utility costs. A restaurant will have regular orders that provide stable income. A mushroom farm makes money by selling harvested mushrooms. Mushrooms might be sold by the pint, quart, or pound. Wholesale transactions normally are by the pound. Since the ongoing expenses are minimal, most of this revenue would be profit. Many mushroom farm businesses add a revenue stream by assembling grow-your-own mushroom kits.

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Gourmet mushrooms, such as oyster and shiitake, are one of the best cash crops for small growers. Although they are traditionally grown on logs outdoors, and still are in many areas, now both can be grown indoors in bags, using straw or sawdust instead of logs. Why grow gourmet mushrooms? Two good reasons. First, by growing indoors, the temperature, humidity and light can be controlled to give the mushrooms exactly what they need, when they need it. This means much larger harvests, and more profits than from log-grown mushrooms. Second, by controlling the growing conditions, up to six crops per year can be produced in the same space, for more income and steady cash flow. Can I grow mushrooms in my area? If you have a suitable space, such as a shed, garage, barn, greenhouse or even a basement or spare room that is not being used, you can grow gourmet mushrooms. What are the best mushrooms to grow? Because both oyster and shiitake mushrooms are proven sellers in the marketplace and consumers know and love them, new growers should stick to those two. There are other exotic mushrooms that can be grown, often for medicinal use, but they require more skill to grow and knowledge of the markets to find buyers. How are gourmet mushrooms propagated?

Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms

There are many roadside markets in Malawi which are close to the forest areas where wild fungi are harvested and also cultivated. Today, an estimated six percent of edible mushrooms are known to have medicinal properties and can be found in health tonics, tinctures, teas, soups and herbal formulas. Trainees taught mushroom growing techniques to their family members who support them and have found mushroom growing to be an important source of household income. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged. Capacity building, increasing technical skills, encouraging innovation and resourcefulness, can all guide smallscale producers into the business world. Selected further reading Aletor, V.

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Trainees taught mushroom growing techniques to their family nake who support them and have mak mushroom growing to be an important source of household income. Indeed, the basic requirements centre on an identied source for purchasing spores, access to suitable substrate and the means to sterilize it, mzke bags and a clean, dark room to cultivate in. Certain parts of the mushroom cultivation process, such Opportunities for the disabled One of the best examples of opportunities in mushroom growing for the disabled can be seen in the recent pioneering programme undertaken by the FAO Regional Ofce for Asia and the Pacic in the poor Northeastern part of Thailand. Mushroosm people are allergic to the spores, which are produced in profusion when the fruiting bodies start to emerge from growing bags, requiring at minimum a face mask to work in production areas and aircleaning equipment or respirators in more high technological systems. Cultivation merely involves placing the sterilized and inoculated substrate in plastic bags, and keeping them in the cool musrooms dark. Furthermore, it represents an ideal activity for older people, those in poor health, and also people with physical and mental disabilities. Several groups of rural women are using water hyacinth as the substrate for growing oyster mushroom Pleurotus sajor-caju. Marketing mushrooms Harvested mushrooms need to be carefully handled and should be kept in a container noney allows for air circulation, such as a basket, and care needs to be taken to prevent bruising. The Kilimanjaro highlands were once a thriving banana and coffee growing region, but with falling world market prices for coffee and unreliable rain in the lowlands, farmers have struggled to earn an income and produce enough food. Unlike the leaves of green plants, which contain chlorophyll to absorb light energy for photosynthesis the process by which plants convert carbon dioxide and water into organic chemicalsmushrooms rely on other plant material the substrate for their food.

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The views expressed in this publication are those of the author s and do not necessarily reect the views of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The designations employed and the presentation of material in mkney information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The mention of specic companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in meedicinal to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. All rights reserved. Reproduction and dissemination of material in this information product for educational or other non-commercial purposes are authorized without any prior written permission from the copyright holders provided the source is fully acknowledged.

Reproduction of material in this information product for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without written permission of the copyright holders. Mushrooms and sustainable livelihoods Nutritional value Medicinal value Income benets Livelihood opportunities. Essentials of mushroom cultivation Life cycle of a mushroom Growing systems Key steps in mushroom production Scale of production Species selection Key species and their cultivation methods.

Assets required for mushroom cultivation Natural assets Social assets Human assets Physical assets Financial assets Summary. Strategies for successful and sustainable mushroom trade 31 Marketing channels Marketing strategies Processing Organization Accessing market information Education, business skills and a willingness to take risks Diversication options Sustainable mushroom trade. Mushroom policy Technical support and training in cultivation and processing Business and entrepreneurial skills Market information Financial services Organizational options Role of advisor.

The purpose of the FAO Diversication umshrooms is to raise awareness and provide decision support information about opportunities at farm and local community level to increase the incomes of small-scale farmers. Each booklet focuses on a farm or non-farm enterprise that can be integrated into small farms to increase incomes and enhance livelihoods.

The enterprises proled in the Makr Diversication booklets selected are suitable for smallholder farmers in terms of resource requirements, additional costs, exposure to risk and complexity. The products or services generated by the enterprises medicinql suitable for meeting demand on a growing, or already strong, local market and are not dependent on an export market. Growwing main target audience for these booklets are people and organizations that provide advisory, business and technical support services to resourcepoor small-scale farmers and local communities in low- and middle-income countries.

It is hoped that enough information is given to help these support service providers to consider new income-generating opportunities and how these might enable small-scale farmers to take action. What are the potential benets? What are farmer requirements and constraints? What are critical success factors? The Medicianl Diversication booklets are also targeted to policy-makers and programme managers in government and non-governmental organizations.

What actions might policy-makers take to create enabling environments for small-scale farmers to diversify into new income-generating activities? The FAO Diversication booklets are not intended to be technical how to do it guidelines. Readers will need to seek more information or technical support, so as to mushhrooms farmer advisory and support activities relating to the introduction of new income-generating activities.

To assist in this respect. A CD has been prepared with a full series of FAO Diversication booklets and relevant Mediccinal technical guides, together with complementary guides on market research, nancing, business planning. If you nd this booklet of value, we would like to hear from you. Tell your colleagues and friends about it. FAO would welcome suggestions about possible changes for enhancing our next edition or regarding relevant topics for other booklets.

By sharing your views and ideas with us we can provide better services to you. Msdicinal is owed to Divine N. Clare Bishop-Sambrook, principal editor of the series, provided technical support and guidance, both during the development meidcinal nalization of the booklets. Martin Hilmi provided both technical and editorial inputs and managed the post-production phase of the series.

Fabio Ricci undertook the design and layout of the booklets and desktop publishing. Commercial markets are dominated by Agaricus bisporus, Lentinula edodes and Pleurotus spp, which represent three quarters of mushrooms cultivated globally. There are hundreds of identied species of fungi which, since time immemorial, have made a signicant global contribution to human food and medicine.

Some estimate that the total number of useful fungi dened as having edible and medicinal value are over 2 species. Although this contribution has historically been made through the collection of wild edible fungi, there is a growing interest in cultivation to supplement, or replace, wild harvest. This is a result of the increased recognition of the nutritional value of many species, coupled with the realization of the income generating potential of fungi through trade.

In addition, where knowledge about wild fungi mushroojs not passed on within families or throughout communities, people have become more reluctant to wild harvest and prefer to cultivate mushrooms instead. Cultivated mushrooms have now become popular all over the world. There are over genera of macrofungi which contain species of use to people. Contribution to livelihoods Mushroom cultivation can help reduce vulnerability to poverty and strengthens livelihoods through the generation of a fast yielding and nutritious source of food and a reliable source of income.

Since it does not require access to land, mushroom cultivation is a viable and attractive activity for both rural farmers and peri-urban dwellers. Small-scale growing does not include any signicant capital investment: mushroom substrate can be medicnal from any clean agricultural waste. They can be cultivated 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.

Growwing the provision of income and improved nutrition, successful cultivation and trade in mushrooms mudhrooms strengthen livelihood assets, which can mushroomw only reduce vulnerability to shocks, but enhance an individuals and a communitys capacity to act upon other economic opportunities. Purpose of booklet This booklet highlights the many opportunities to, and benets of. Musshrooms studies of successful outcomes from growing mushrooms as a livelihood demonstrate the benets arising from mushroom production in terms of income, food security and consumption of healthy food.

Sources of additional information and technical support for any followup are identied at the end of the booklet. The booklet recognises the valuable contribution that wild edible fungi make to the livelihoods of rural people in both tropical and temperate zones.

However, this booklet does not focus on wild harvest production, but it does recognize that the subsequent processing, packaging and marketing medivinal mushrooms is similar for both cultivated and wild harvest types. Mushrooms and sustainable livelihoods food in their own right: they are often considered to msuhrooms a fair substitute for meat, with at least a comparable nutritional value to many vegetables.

The consumption of mushrooms can make a valuable addition to the often unbalanced diets of people in developing countries. Fresh mushrooms have a high water content, around 90 percent, so drying them is an effective way to both prolonge their shelf-life and preserve their avour and nutrients.

Mushroom nushrooms can directly improve livelihoods through economic, nutritional and medicinal contributions. However, it is essential to note that kushrooms mushrooms are poisonous and may even be lethal, thus the need for extra caution in identifying those species that can be consumed as food. FIGURE 1 A comparison of the nutritional index essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals of different foods compared to mushrooms A comparison of the nutritional index of different foods compared to mushrooms.

Source: FAO. Wild edible fungi, a global overview of their use and importance to people, by E. Mushrooms are a good source of vitamin B, C and D, including niacin, riboavin, thiamine, and folate, and various minerals including potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron and copper. They provide carbohydrates, but are low in fat and monsy, and contain no starch. Furthermore, edible mushrooms are an excellent source of high quality protein reportedly between 19 percent and 35 percent mevicinal, and white button mushrooms contain more protein than kidney beans.

In addition to all the essential amino acids, some mushrooms mushroomw medicinal benets of certain polysaccharides, which are known to mediconal the immune. Medicinal value Recently, there has been a spectacular growth in, and commercial activity associated with, dietary supplements, functional foods and other products that are more than just food. Medicinal fungi have routinely been used in traditional Chinese medicine. Today, an estimated six percent of edible mushrooms are known to have medicinal properties and can be found in health tonics, tinctures, teas, mushroojs and herbal formulas.

Lentinula edodes shiitake and Volvariella volvacea Chinese or straw mushroom are edible fungi with medicinal properties widely diffused and cultivated.

Mushrooms represent a vast source of yet undiscovered potent pharmaceutical products and their biochemistry would merit further investigation. Income benets Mushroom cultivation activities can play an important role in supporting growihg local economy by groiwng 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 and drying see Case Study 1.

The medicinal properties of mushrooms depend on several bioactive compounds and their bioactivity depends on how mushrooms are prepared and eaten. Shiitake are said to have antitumour and antiviral properties and remove serum cholesterol from the blood stream. Other species, such as Pleurotus oyster groing, Auricularia mu-erFlammulina enokitakeTermella yin-er and Grifola maitakeall have varying degrees of immune system boosting, lipidlowering, anti-tumour, microbial and viral properties, blood pressure regulating, and other therapeutic.

In many medocinal of Africa, edible fungi are an mdeicinal food source, but in the Hai district of Northeastern Tanzania, many community members traditionally perceived mushrooms to be poisonous. Until a few years ago, oyster mushrooms were considered to be an expensive luxury food for urban consumers and not of interest to resource poor households.

Despite miney initial challenges, a project initiated in Mayled by the Horticultural Research Growijg Tengeru and supported by FARM-Africas Maendeleo Agricultural Technology Fund, has resulted in almost Hai farmers adopting oyster mushroom production in their homes. The Kilimanjaro highlands were once a thriving banana and coffee growing region, but with falling world market prices for coffee and unreliable rain in the lowlands, farmers have struggled to earn mediconal income and produce enough food.

Households have become poorer and malnutrition amongst children has increased. However, Hai farmers became gradually convinced of the value of cultivating and consuming oyster mushrooms after attending training and a series of cooking demonstrations held by Horti-Tengeru during The production cycle takes about 6 to 12 weeks, and the crop can be cultivated year-round.

The benets of growing and selling mushrooms have enabled farmers to buy livestock chickens and goatspay school fees and household goods, and a number of farmers have invested in expanding their mushroom production. The benets to the household have also included improved nutrition. Consumption of animal protein is low in most households, even those with livestock. Oyster mushrooms are rich in protein and provide an affordable alternative. A number of households have now adopted a recommended preparation of mushroom stew, which is eaten with rice or a stiff porridge.

Mushroom growing involves medifinal members of the community. Younger group members help the older people by preparing the substrates chopping and pasteurisation and mixing the spawn collectively. Individuals are then given the spawned bags to take home. Farmer groups also share use of equipment, such as pasteurisation drums, makw trays or solar driers.

Poverty amongst some group medicinall is also still a constraint as many lack space for the mushroom growing structures. Kushrooms, farmers are encouraged to rent rooms and a revolving fund has been set up to allow them to buy mushroojs planting material.

The majority paid back at least half the loan within the rst production cycle. By midone year after the introduction of the crop, growers were selling their mushrooms to local informal markets and growinf to hotels omney supermarkets in Arusha and Moshi, including medicinnal major supermarket.

Demand for oyster mushrooms in Hai and neighbouring districts currently exceeds supply, indicating potential for further growth. To maintain demand, mushroom quality, good packaging and consistent production will have to be sustained.

Farmer groups have demonstrated their innovativeness in nding a variety of ways to improve their products. One group, for example, has discovered a method for processing quality dry mushroom without using a solar drier, while an individual farmer processes his mushrooms by pickling.

Farmers are now training others in mushroom production.

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The popularity of gourmet mushrooms is growing fast, as more and more folks discover the great taste and health benefits. In fact, almost ten million pounds of oyster and shiitake mushrooms were sold in the U. In Europe and Asia, mushrooms are much more widely grown and eaten, but Americans are catching up.

​Conclusion & Next Steps To Get Growing

In addition to the high demand, both oyster and shiitake mushrooms are among the easiest gourmet mushrooms to grow, and can be produced on a variety of waste products, such as straw and sawdust, even coffee grounds. New growing techniques allow growers to grow both varieties indoors in plastic bags. You can still have a full-time job. If you just have a few hours every week, even as little as ten hours, then you have enough time to be a successful mushroom grower. Growing oyster and shiitake mushrooms indoors for profit is a great way to make a solid extra income. So how much can you make growing gourmet mushrooms? In a square foot growing area, growers are averaging around harvested pounds per year, with six growing cycles, or about one harvest every eight weeks. You can count on people looking for tasty gourmet mushrooms. So set up a booth or pitch your tent and start selling. If spots are all full, ask another grower, such as a vegetable grower, if you can share a stand with. How about selling direct to local grocery stores? Due to the increased popularity of oyster and shiitake mushrooms, more and more stores are now selling .

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