Mushroom Cultivation for Increasing Income and Sustainable Development of Small and Marginal Farmers

Abstract

A mushroom is the fleshy and spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus and belongs to the class Basidiomycetes. Mushroom cultivation is a low-cost, high-return activity that has proven to be an additional source of income. Because the vegetarian population in our country's urban centers has adopted mushrooms in their diet due to their nutritious worth, mushroom producers in nearby rural areas have an excellent market for selling their products quickly and at a reasonable price. As a result, the mushroom benefits both producers and consumers, earning it the title of super food.  Mushroom production can also be used to empower rural people, offer additional income for agricultural families, and address the issue of rural people's nutritional needs. Rural unemployed people are the most productive workforce in the economy, necessitating efforts to enhance and strengthen their socioeconomic condition. Mushroom farming all year can produce revenue from the sale of spawns as well as the sale of fresh mushrooms in a sustainable manner by using farm by-products as a raw material.