An information day was held on July 16, 2025 at the Centre de la Promotion de la Femme et de la Famille in Yaounde 5, organized by SAILD to promote organic mushroom growing and marketing.
How do you grow mushrooms organically? What are the prerequisites for growing mushrooms (myciculture)? What are the production techniques and how do you sell your mushrooms? These were some of the questions raised during the information day, which was attended by some 70 people.
The meeting, punctuated by various presentations, encouraged participants not only to produce organic mushrooms, i.e. without synthetic chemicals, but also to market them. “The choice of organic mushrooms is important because people’s diets are increasingly influenced by chemical products. However, mushroom cultivation is one of the crops that come from organic farming practices“, explains Appolinaire Tetang, in charge of knowledge dissemination.
Organic mushroom production techniques were also made available to the public. “The production cycle for organic mushrooms is fairly short. In just one month, the harvest can begin. It’s a crop that offers a lot of investment opportunities. It’s also a crop that can be grown in small spaces. In a corner of the house, you can make your own little mushroom farm, whatever the season” he adds.
No chemical inputs
In his speech, myciculture expert David Fodjo outlined the aspects to be taken into account when growing organic mushrooms. These included substrate composition and preparation, mushroom seeds and bagging. “Organic mushroom growing is a non-odorous, chemical additive-free, soil-less method of cultivation. It makes the most of agricultural residues. The material used to make the substrate and the production medium generally comes from these residues” he asserted. According to the expert, mushroom cultivation contributes to improving human health. It is also an income-generating activity. “Compared with vegetables such as eggplants, carrots, cucumbers, cabbage or okra, mushrooms are very rich in protein. It’s of very high quality, with almost all the amino acids the body needs” he adds.
Participants also benefited from the experience of an organic mushroom grower. Practical case studies enabled them to learn about organic substrate compositions and treatments. The substrate is the raw material for organic mushroom production. It consists of corn cobs, wheat bran, corn bran and slaked hot water.
This information day on growing and marketing organic mushrooms, organized by the Support Service for Local Development Initiatives (SAILD) as part of Output B of the “ Knowledge Cluster for Organic Agriculture and Agroecology in Central Africa ” (KCOA) project, was an opportunity to encourage the general public to produce at lower cost while respecting the environment.
- Raïssa Fotio
