Benefits of eating mushrooms
One of the benefit is they help lower blood pressure and boost the immune system.
6mon agoPURITY WANGUIInfographics
In the heart of Kiambu county, an unexpected agricultural revolution is taking root—not in the soil, but in carefully arranged sacks inside shaded structures.
Here, a determined group of farmers is redefining conservation through mushroom farming in the sprawling 3,477-hectare (8,591 acres) Uplands Forest.
The innovative initiative blends environmental protection with economic empowerment. What began as a bold experiment in 2019, has now flourished into a sustainable venture, providing livelihoods to 15 community members while ensuring the preservation of the lush forest.
The journey started when the Kenya Forest Service, in collaboration with the African Development Bank through the Green Zone Development Support Project Phase 2, selected Uplands Forest as one of seven sites in Kiambu for an initiative to promote sustainable livelihoods.
This aligned with the Participatory Forest Management programme, which allows communities to engage in sustainable activities such as beekeeping and farming in designated forest blocks, while nurturing newly planted trees.
Paul Mugo, the mushroom growers’ chairman, recalled how they stumbled upon their unique agricultural choice.
“We needed a crop that would thrive in all seasons. When we noticed people collecting soil from riverbeds in the forest for mushroom cultivation, we saw an opportunity. Mushrooms grow indoors, unaffected by extreme weather and the funding made it possible,” he said.
The first year was riddled with challenges. “We lost everything due to a lack of proper knowledge. The NGO assumed we knew what we were doing, but we had to learn the hard way,” farmer Simon Mwaura said.
A turning point came when the Green Zones Project facilitated a one-day training at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology.
Armed with new skills and certification, the group made a second attempt in 2020. This time, the mushrooms flourished, but the Covid-19 pandemic disrupted market access. “Persistence eventually paid off,” Mwaura said.
