Growing Mushrooms  REMIX 

AGRIBUSINESS PROJECT

I am the coordinator of the above project. It is based on organic farming and it will run in two phases.

Phase 1 will involve decomposing of vegetable materials whereby the decomposing agent has produced market material and the waste now becomes substrate for the final crop which will also go into the market.

PHASE 1

This will involve growing of mushrooms of two types.

Pleurotus which is a primary decomposer will utilize wheat & rice straws, maize cobs, hyacinth (seaweed) sawdust and many other vegetable materials.

We shall also use agaricus mushrooms which is a secondary decomposer whereby the material has been decomposed prior to growing mushroom using this component as a substrate.

The mushroom is harvested and sold in markets (hotels, supermarkets & to individual customers) So in the first place the vegetable materials which could lay as waste materials has helped the production of a viable economic project which is a delicacy to a certain extent. The group has earned money.

There is no use of fertilizers in this phase as microbiological properties have been utilized in this first phase.

PHASE 2

This phase will utilize the compost made in phase 1.Worms (eelworms) are employed here to finish the decomposed materials.

The material which is the already decomposed materials will be friendly to the environment as no inorganic materials have been added to it.

The decomposed materials will be used as the manure for growing various types of vegetables e.g. tomatoes, cabbage, lettuce, turnips, beetroots etc.The vegetables are sold into the market and the farmer improves their income.

We are living in eco-villages whereby each person has been allocated 4.5 acres of land.0.5 acres is the one allocated to compose a village and the 4.0 acres as the arable land for food production.

In our eco-village we are about 200 families and many are interested in the project.

For the purpose of water, Shallow Water International (swim) has helped to identify where there are underground running streams. This has been done in conjunction with one engineer Rex-Lutherfold from Canada.

By profession I am a biotechnologist and so qualified to co-ordinate the project.The project is based in central kenya on its northern part between mt Kenya and Aberdare ranges which is a semi arid area

Rufus Charles Maina