“We are guiding a new group of farmers with an even broader curriculum”

by

The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) is scaling up its efforts to empower tribal communities through mushroom cultivation. Just two months after training a group of 22 tribal women in oyster mushroom production, ICAR’s Mushroom Research & Training Centre (MRTC) in Basar has welcomed a new batch of 25 trainees for an expanded program.

“This session builds on the success of our earlier program,” says Dr. Raghuveer Singh, Principal Investigator of the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on Mushroom. “Many of the women trained in June have already started small-scale production. Now, we are guiding a new group of farmers with an even broader curriculum.”

© Dr Raghuveer Singh

More crops, more opportunity
Unlike the June training, which focused solely on oyster mushrooms, the August session introduced participants to milky mushrooms and elm oyster cultivation as well. These varieties offer both nutritional and commercial advantages, diversifying income opportunities for small and marginal farmers.

Hands-on demonstrations covered the entire process from spawning to casing and harvesting, inside dedicated cropping rooms. Trainees also toured the Mushroom Museum, gaining exposure to biodiversity and new production technologies. Practical kits, including buckets and sprayers, were distributed to encourage entrepreneurship and make it easier for participants to replicate techniques at home.

© Dr Raghuveer Singh

© Dr Raghuveer Singh

From rural training to broader adoption
The initiative emphasizes not only technical skills but also peer learning. Farmer-to-farmer knowledge exchange formed part of the sessions, creating a foundation for ongoing collaboration beyond the training room.

By expanding its training modules, ICAR is positioning mushrooms as both a low-cost livelihood option for rural households and a crop well-suited for controlled-environment production systems. With the first cohort already producing and the second group just beginning, the program illustrates how science-led interventions can translate into tangible progress on the ground.

© Dr Raghuveer Singh

For more information:
Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Dr Raghuveer Singh
Principal Investigator: AICRP-Mushroom & AICRN-PC
[email protected]
www.icar.org.in/en/aicrps-network-projects

Related Agroforestry News Posts:

  1. Spanish lemon Verna season begins off The Spanish citrus Verna lemon season is officially underway in the same way that the Fino lemon season is over in accordance with the Lemon and Grapefruit Interprofessional Association (AILIMPO). It is believed that the Verna season is also accompanied...
  2. “Climate problems are a major factor in Spanish Import season” Problems with weather are common during problems with weather that are common to the Spanish imported season. Numerous heavy rainstorms occurred following a prolonged dry spell which led to problems the, say, Spanish soft fruit production as well as quality....
  3. Athy is the first retailer to test ALDI’s brand-new “Project Freshly enhanced” design. Italian discounter MD has reported an increase of 11% in sales Discounter MD is announcing that they has surpassed EUR3.4bln of turnover by 2022 with an rise of 11% when compared with the year prior. The business, which is the...
  4. The spot rate for reefer spots will return to levels pre-pandemic as the dry premium disintegrates The latest ocean freight rates data from Xeneta suggests an increasing “normalization” of the reefer market, with spot rates from the Far East to Northern Europe now back to pre-pandemic levels. This means short-term reefer rates on the trade have...
  5. Can eating bananas serve as a method to shed pounds? The consumption of bananas can help with losing weight. Some even say that bananas are among the most financially sustainable superfoods accessible in the marketplace. It’s easy to access and is rich in nutrients. Consuming bananas has numerous health benefits...

Source: The Plantations International Agroforestry Group of Companies