This archive report was first published on 13 September 2019.
Published on September 13, 2019, a retired Kenyan Army officer, John Kuru, has found a new passion in mushroom farming. He retreated to his ancestral village in central Kenya two years ago, where he has been practicing farming differently.
Unlike his neighbors' farms, which are teeming with potato crops ready for harvest, Kuru's 12-acre farm lies fallow. He has now transformed his garage into a mushroom farm, where he grows oyster mushrooms.
“You must be wondering why I would transform my garage into a farm, yet I have a big land lying idle,” said Kuru. He has now transformed his garage into a mushroom farm and says the amount of money he makes from the small space is incomparable with what he used to make from his 12-acre farm.
After retirement, Kuru enrolled for an agribusiness course at Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, where he was trained on mushroom farming. He ploughed Ksh 500,000, part of his retirement benefits, in erecting the structure where he grows the mushrooms. Six months down the line, he says he has recouped this amount and already made a Ksh 300,000 profit.
“Mushroom farming is one of the under-exploited sectors despite its benefits to consumers and the farmers. Kenyans are looking for alternatives to red meat and mushrooms are a perfect match,” said Kuru.
Consolata Muindi, the Chief Executive Officer at Splendid Mushroom Enterprise, attributes the low production to the many challenges that come with farming mushrooms. “Mushroom farmers face quite a number of challenges, which are contributing factors to why there is a shortage of this product in the market. The major problem encountered is lack of expertise in cultivation and disease management,” said Muindi.
Milton Skovia, who also grows oyster mushrooms on his balcony in plastic containers in Nairobi, says he spent Ksh 800 to set up the mini-farm, which has now given him Ksh 8,000 since he began three months ago.
Statistics from the National Farmers Information Service show that mushroom production is currently valued at Ksh 330 million. Large scale producers account for over 95 percent of all mushroom production in Kenya, most of which is button. Oyster mushroom production is picking up because it is easy to grow, has higher yields, and has more nutritional value than button.
