Mushroom as a Mechanism to Alleviate Poverty, Unemployment and Malnutrition

Abstract

Mushroom is the most popular delicious, nutritious and medicinal vegetable in the world. Now it is considered as the most promising concept for crop diversification. It has been regarded as an effective means for poverty alleviation in less developed countries due to its potential for a quick, high return of profit on a small investment. Bangladesh is one of the most suitable countries in the world for Mushroom cultivation due to its favorable climate, cheap raw materials and labor cost and high market price. It is such an income generating concept that can alleviate poverty and eradicate malnutrition. It can also create employment opportunities for landless beggar, educated and uneducated youth, person with disabilities and adolescent men and women respectively. The primary objective of the study is to alleviate poverty, unemployment and malnutrition through cultivating and selling mushroom. The study is analytical and theoretical in nature and based on the secondary data. However, personal interview has been conducted to the mushroom farmers to depict the cost and profitability of Mushroom cultivation. The study finds that Mushroom cultivation can open a new opportunity for landless and unemployed people as it does not require any cultivable land and can be grown in a room by racking vertically. One can earn nearly TK 4-5 thousands a month by investing only TK 10-15 thousands. So, it is possible to make a handsome profit by investing a small amount of capital and labor in Mushroom cultivation.

Training Needs of Mushroom (<i>Agaricus biosporus</i>) Farmers in Oyo state, Nigeria

“…This implies that they derive financial, nutritional and health benefits from mushroom production. This is partly in tandem with results in Table 1 and also with that of Shakil et al (2014) who stated that mushroom cultivation has the potential of earning and can be a good income generating activity for unemployed people. Mushroom can serve as an alternative to vegetables or meat as they can also nourish the body by supplying a wide range of essential nutrients (Ali, 2014).…”

“…Mushrooms can strengthen livelihood assets through the provision of income and improved nutrition. Successful cultivation has potential of earning and can be a good income generating activity for unemployed people (Shakil, Tasnia, Munim and Mehedi, 2014).…”

An Empirical Analysis of the Factors Associated with Mushroom Cultivation: A Case of Dhaka

“…In addition, a significant portion of fruits and vegetables is lost after harvest. As a result, the available fruits and vegetables fulfill only 50% of our requirements (Shakil et al, 2014). In this situation, mushroom cultivation can be new hope for Bangladesh (Rahman et al, 2017).…”