MUSHROOM OUTGROWERS

PROJECT

Menagesha Integrated Organic Farm PLC

In Collaboration with
ICCO Food Security and Rural Entrepreneurship Fund (FSRE-Fund)
2014-2015
 OUTLINE TOPICS
 Project Objectives
 Summary of Project Activities
 Challenges Faced
 Lessons Learned
Project Outline
- Aim : to introduce Oyster mushroom (Pleurotus
spp.) growing to small farm holder families living in and
around Menagesha and Holeta
- Menagesha Int. Org. Farm
Train outgrowers the steps of mushroom cultivation
Follow up & consultancy after training delivery
Produce and distribute Spawned bags to outgrowers
Provide market for their produce
- Outgrowers
Construct small mushroom growing houses
Cultivate and harvest mushroom at their site
Sell mushrooms to MIOF
The general objective of the program was :
• to increase the fresh mushroom supply to the
growing market in Ethiopia
• to increase the economic and nutritional wellbeing
of rural poor.
Major activities that has been carried out
• Capacity building of the farm
• Organizing outgrowers

Mushroom Spawn production

laboratory was established
Additional infrastructure for
mushroom cultivation purposes were modified
and adjusted
More people were hired
Consulted by mushroom experts
from Holand and USA
Regarding outgrowers scheme:
 Mushroom cultivation business were promoted
using seminars and briefing sessions,
 Small holder farmers and unemployed youths
and housewives were recruited,
 Training (Lecture and hands on practical) were
delivered to the selected outgrowers
 Spawned bags were supplied to outgrowers
 Fresh mushrooms were collected from growers
and,
 Mushrooms were marketed to supermarkets,
hotels, food retailers etc
Problems and Challenges
 Delay of capacity building processes of
the farm
• Lack of foreign exchange to import
the major working equipments from
abroad
• Insufficient electric power supply to
run the laboratory work
• Machine failure problems
 Challenges regarding selection and
recruiting of outgrowers.

This is due to
• Mushroom growing is new venture for the small
holder farmers
• Lack of willingness of the community to start the
business,
• Smallholder farmers lack finance to construct
growing houses and to buy Spawned bags
• Rural poor infrastructure (water, roads etc)
 Lessons Learned

Considering lower number of outgrowers if

we are able to start the project over
 Clustering or grouping of outgrowers in
few areas would have been more effective
(recruiting outgrowers, distribution of inputs, doing follow
ups and supervisions and also collection of the products
and marketing )
 Linking outgrowers with finance
institutions
 Investing on few models to attract more
 Building the trust between the farm and
outgrowers by transparent transactions and
also using contractual agreements
 Outcome of the project would be different
if project area is in Addis Ababa
The Training Course
Example of Trainee's Mushroom Growing
Houses
Distribution of Spawned bags
to the trainees
THE NEW LABORATORY
Spawned Bag Production
Growing Houses
 Open bags
 Watering bags
 Harvest mushrooms