Published: 11:03 PM, 28 August 2026
Mushroom: A Dual Solution for Nutrition Security and Employment
Dr. Akhter Jahan Kakon
Considering issues such as the scarcity of land in Bangladesh, unemployment, malnutrition, low per capita income, employment generation — particularly self-employment for rural women — and, above all, poverty alleviation, mushroom is a uniquely promising crop. It requires no fertile land for cultivation; it can be grown indoors, producing large quantities of mushrooms in a small space. This allows for the proper use of uncultivated, fallow land as well as more efficient use of land in general. Therefore, in densely populated Bangladesh, it is extremely important to increase both the production and consumption of mushrooms. Moreover, since it is a nutritious food with medicinal properties and is in demand in various countries, mushroom cultivation will play an important role in economic development, in addition to solving our country's nutrition problems. It is hoped that, in the near future, exporting mushrooms abroad will make it possible to earn a substantial amount of foreign currency.
In alignment with the government's developmental activities, the project titled “Improvement of Nutrition and Reduction of Poverty through Mushroom Cultivation project (1st Revised)” is conducting the following activities in the current socio-economic context to ensure food security and create employment.
Farmers, Agricultural Development, and Safe Food
1. Adoption of the "Agropreneurship" Start-up Project Through the "Nutrition Improvement and Poverty Reduction through Mushroom Cultivation Expansion" project, 660 agricultural entrepreneurs (mushroom entrepreneurs) have been developed, 80% of whom are young entrepreneurs. Subsequently, 60 more entrepreneurs will be developed, creating self-employment opportunities for 720 people.
2. Precision Agriculture Mushroom is a halal, safe, medicinally beneficial, and nutritious food. No chemical fertilizers or pesticides are needed in mushroom production. Through mushroom cultivation, farmers benefit more at low cost while helping to ensure a safe and nutritious food supply for everyone.
3. Cooperative Revival Under this project, a group of 30 affiliated farmers has been formed under each entrepreneur, and the necessary training has been provided to these group members. The affiliated farmers carry out area-based production and market their produce jointly.
4. Protection of Agricultural Land: Mushroom is a high-value and high-yielding crop that does not require agricultural land for production. Initiatives have been taken by the project to strengthen the market linkage for farmers to ensure fair prices for mushroom cultivators. Through field days and motivational tours, everyone, including women, widows, and people with disabilities, is being encouraged to cultivate mushrooms.
5. Climate Risk Mitigation Since mushroom is an indoor crop, it faces virtually no risk from natural disasters or climate change. To address climate risk, modernize agriculture sustainably, and maintain adequate mushroom production year-round, ongoing research and training activities include collecting germplasm of new mushroom varieties and developing and disseminating cultivation methods suited to the country's climate.
Women's Empowerment
1. Providing Financial and Skills-based Support to Women Entrepreneurs Of the 660 agricultural entrepreneurs (mushroom entrepreneurs) developed under the project, 91 are women entrepreneurs. Their mushroom production and marketing activities have been strengthened through demonstrations and the provision of cultivation houses, sterilization-cum-inoculation chambers, water spray systems, marketing vans, and other resources. Additionally, a group of 30 affiliated farmers has been formed under each woman entrepreneur, further boosting women's empowerment.
Dr. Akhter Jahan Kakon is
Project Director in Improvement
of Nutrition and Reduction of Poverty through Mushroom Cultivation project under DAE, Ministry of Agriculture.
