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Environmental conditions play a pivotal role in the success,or failure, of mushroom projects.

WINDHOEK — Despite the high demand for mushroom in Namibia, community mushroom farming projects are struggling to become sustainable.
Lack of finance and facilities to boost and sustain small-scale mushroom farming projects are jinxing the ventures.

In the coastal town of Henties Bay in the Erongo region, dust has collected on equipment at a mushroom farming house run by the Tulongeni Community Project, a community-based initiative.

“We haven’t been here in a long time, hence dust has collected, ” said Helena Shigwedha, a member of the struggling project as she opens the door to the premises.

The Tulongeni Community Project is one of those struggling to turn mushroom farming projects into sustainable ventures.

“We stopped production some time ago. It was hard sustaining the mushroom project as it requires a favorable environment. We do not have electricity and funds, which are essential in successfully running such a project. Water, which we need to keep the place chilly and humid, is insufficient. Finances and other resources are also limited,” she said on Wednesday.

The project members began producing mushrooms in 2003 after they were trained by the University of Namibia’s Sam Nujoma Marine and Coastal Resources Research Center in Henties Bay. Although trade started off well, after nine years the project stopped.

Similar projects have hit hard times. The Erari Mushroom Suppliers project based in Okakarara  in Namibia’s Otjozondjupa Region also recently ground to a halt. Lucia Conradie, who coordinates the Erari Mushroom Suppliers project, attributed its fate to lack of funds.

Conradie said although trade was fair at the start of the initiative in 2010, it failed to generate adequate income that could be disbursed amongst members and be sustainable.

“Demand for mushrooms is high but it’s a-hard-to-sustain venture given specific environmental conditions needed to grow mushrooms. The project became dormant because of lack of funds. We also lack skills on how to establish strong market chains.”

In Windhoek, a  mushroom project ran by the Khomas Women in Development (KWID) in Windhoek stopped mushroom production due to lack of community cooperation that resulted in a decrease in production and sales.

Lydia Horn, a mushroom researcher with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry said some small-scale mushroom farming projects have stopped mushroom production due to some environmental factors such as high temperatures combined with low humidity needed when growing mushrooms.

“Environmental conditions play a major role in the failure of mushroom projects. Poor infrastructure such as unsuitable mushroom fruiting houses does not provide a conducive environment for mushroom growth,” said Horn.

She said some farmers did not know how to properly keep mushroom substrates, leading to drying of the fruiting bodies.

In spite of the challenges, Conradie believes that mushroom farming has great potential given high demand for mushrooms in Namibia.

“I hope we get funding and technical assistance to upgrade our facilities as well as entrepreneurial skills training so that we can start once more,” she said.

Horn concurs. “The potential is very good as many restaurants are willing to buy mushrooms for their business,” she said.
Gilbert Botha, retail marketing manager for Model Pick n Pay also said that there was a big demand for mushroom in Namibia.

Records at the Namibia Agronomic board show that during between 2011 and 2012, 369.91 tonnes of mushroom was produced locally.

This increased to 451.51 tonnes during the 2012/2013 financial year. Although between 2011 and 2012 221.81 tonnes of mushrooms were imported, imports of mushroom declined to 147.97 tonnes between 2012 and 2013 according to Fedelis Mwazi, National horticulture manager at Namibia Agronomic board.

Horn said that apart from their economic potential, mushrooms are an important source of protein, minerals and fibers.

“The spent substrate can be used as compost for the vegetable garden. Mushroom cultivation can also serve as a recycling tool in a community. The crop residues left in the field after harvesting can be easily recycled.”

In the meantime, the farmers are looking for ways to rehabilitate their mushroom fruiting houses to resume production.
But sustainability is not the only factor affecting mushroom production in the country. Professor Percy Chimwamurombe of the University of Namibia said that there was also a lack interest amongst community members to start mushroom farming.

Chimwamurombe said that over 500 community members all over the country had been trained through the Zero Emission Research Initiative at the University of Namibia. However, only approximately 100 community members had started mushroom projects.    Horn said that the Khomas region had most scale farmers compared to other regions.

To run a successful mushroom farming project, Horn suggests that an artificial mushroom house required.

To meet farmers half way and develop sustainable ways of mushroom farming projects, Martha Hausiku, a mushroom researcher at the Sam Nujoma Marine Resources and Research Center is researching easier, cheaper and easily sustainable techniques for growing mushrooms using washing powder and building fruiting houses out of clay soil (equipped with a drip irrigation system).

The Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry is also actively involved in promoting mushroom farming and provides training to mushroom farmers. Further assistance has come from the private sector.

Gernot de Klerk, communications manager at Nedbank, one of the few private enterprises prioritizing investment in mushroom production at community level, said that the challenges with regard to self-sustainability were well known and mostly related to achieving a sustained interest in these projects from community members who would have been fully trained. – Xinhua.