White button (above) and Oyster mushrooms (inset): A rural enterprise for diversification, higher income and nutrition security. Mushroom cultivation is viable and attractive for landless farmers particularly women, and suitable for urban agriculture.
The production of mushroom, a crop of waste to wealth, has almost doubled in India in less than a decade. The high yielding varieties and farmer friendly ICAR technologies have played a significant role in propelling this growth. Development of temperature-tolerant strains and in-house cultivation technologies pushed its cultivation to new heights. Popular in urban markets owing to nutritional and health benefits, and now with new varieties, mushroom has become popular among rural masses. Technology developed for early fruiting in Shiitake mushroom.