Several groups of women are currently using the water hyacinth to sterilize the substrate required to grow the edible fungi Oyster mushroom. Mushroom growing dates back as far as early 1990, when a group of women started the venture in Malawi�s commercial capital of Blantyre as an income generating activity. Mushroom selling has become a lucrative business in supermarkets that recently emerged in Malawi�s cities of Blantyre, Lilongwe and Mzuzu and many clubs comprising of women are now growing it as it continues to spread countrywide.
The recent launch of the Malawi Rural Development Fund (MARDEF), a special fund created by parliament to assist individuals and groups has assisted many women to venture in the enterprises. There is MK5 billion set aside as a revolving fund for Malawians to venture into small businesses the whole country.
The Enterprise Development and Training Agency (EDETA) supplies farmers with the technical expertise in successful mushroom growing. So far with funding from OXFAM, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and under the Enterprise development and employment creation in the Ministry of Commerce and industry, EDETA now boasts of over 100 groups in its project area. The groups are actively involved in mushroom growing at present.
Supplementary funding has also been sourced from the Community Partnership in Sustainable Natural Resource Management in Malawi (COMPASS) for a group of women in Chiwembe, in Blantyre. According to EDETA, significant progress has been registered in these groups to date. Township
Emmanuel Mlaka, Executive Director of EDETA says, �The idea behind the establishment of the groups is to promote alternative livelihood strategies. These measures are aimed at enhancing income-oriented approaches to environmental conservation. Many Malawians are living in dire poverty compared to other sub-Saharan countries. The per capita income in Malawi is much lower than in other sub-Saharan countries.�
People in the village know that cutting down trees is not good. But the problem is that the average person has no other alternative to survive. You don�t tell someone, �don�t cut the tree it will help you in five years to come�. The people need alternatives in life now and that�s what EDETA is doing,� he said.
Why alternative livelihood strategies? In mushroom growing, the deadly water weed -the water hyacinth- is a very good substrate for mushroom growing. Good substrate has high nitrogen content and the water hyacinth, because of the green coloring matter available, has proved to be an ideal material for production. Mlaka says � metric tone of the water hyacinth is needed per shelter per cycle of mushroom growing.
The water hyacinth has the potential to regenerate and multiply faster; there is the need, therefore, to have more groups to utilize the weed. EDETA intends to institute three times the numbers of groups currently available by the end of this year. This will automatically affect the rate of vegetative growth by the weed. �The rate and speed of growth will be hampered as the number of those using the weed will almost triple,� he said.
The Madalitso Entrepreneurs women group in Chiwembe benefited from a COMPASS grant of close to US$2000. The group is currently involved in active mushroom growing. The group has a total membership of 25 of which 91 percent are women. The women collect the water hyacinth that has colonized the Chiwembe dam as an alternative substrate for sporophore production of Oyster mushrooms.
The group harvest according to COMPASS generated an initial supplementary cash income of K114.000.00 an equivalent of $950 the production is likely to skyrocket with time and hence more income is likely to be generated.
Grace Malani, a retired Banker and now a resident of Machijiri in Blantyre, is one of the women involved. Grace started growing mushrooms in 2000 and it has proved very beneficial for her. �I got the technical expertise from EDETA. I have already made sales of close to MK25, 000.00,� she said. �Since mushroom growing doesn�t involve traveling like other businesses, it is good for me,� Malani said.
When asked about the way forward for mushrooms, she said that there is a need for those in the spore-making (seed production) phase to concentrate a lot in order to give growers the best. Mushroom seeds are produced at Chancellor and Bunda of agriculture, both constituent college of the University. of Malawi College College Township
The species of mushroom being promoted for production is scientifically known as Pleurotus sajor-caju. This is easy to grow using simple adopted technologies and does not require large pieces of land. The development of mushrooms is in line with the government policy of diversification of the country�s production base.
Mushrooms are savory and have a high protein content closely related to animal protein. Mushrooms are widely used as an ingredient in a number of products such as soup and prepared meals in homes, hotels and specialized institutions. They are in high demand in Malawi and abroad. According to EDETA, domestic production of mushrooms has been estimated at 6.5 tons a year. This is too insufficient to meet the demand that annually stands at 80 metric tones a year (according to import statistics) the supply gap is satisfied by monthly imports from abroad.
Other species of mushroom also on the production list include Genodarme lucidum, an edible mushroom used in boosting medicinal immunity, especially for cancer. Genodarme has the capacity to grow on live trees. EDETA intends to work closely with the department of forestry and wildlife in order to propagate this phenomenon. This will help to conserve other species of trees that are wantonly being cut down. Agaricus bisporous, or the button head mushroom, is another species also being promoted for production by EDETA.
Figures obtained from EDETA indicate that mushroom growing is a lucrative business. The sales for nine groups in three months, according to EDETA, amounted to MK234, 000.00 an equivalent of $1950.00. Since most of the materials are locally found, mushroom growing is economically viable. The presence of the water hyacinth is therefore a blessing in disguise. Despite being the worst water weed, local people are able to extract from it benefits for there livelihoods. EDETA intends to diversify strategies to benefit a cross section of the Malawi communities.
Malawi Export Promotion Council research has identified mushrooms as a potential export product. In 1999, the global market value for edible mushrooms was estimated to be $17-30 billion, while that of medicinal mushrooms and their products for the same year was $6 billion. There is therefore the need for developing the mushroom industry, looking at the high demand globally. The presence of the water hyacinth therefore assures the growers of a readily available sterilizer for the substrate, especially due to the booming market.
EDETA therefore intends to keep exploring more ways of utilizing the weed. At present, plans are underway to exchange information with an agricultural institution in Kenya. Research there has proved that dairy cattle that feed on the water hyacinth produce more milk, which can either be used for sale or for domestic use.
In a related development, women in the Ndirande, one of the largest squatter areas in Blantyre, are producing briquettes using the water hyacinth. Briquettes have proved to be a substitute for charcoal and firewood. They have proven effective in mitigating the rampant deforestation. Already, Ndirande has suffered massive wanton tree cutting despite being a forest reserve. Mountain
The briquettes are also made from using waste paper. The paper is collected from offices and industrial sites. The activity assists in the control of waste management in the city. To make briquettes, the raw material is soaked, pounded and compressed into cylindrical blocks. The blocks are then dried up before being used to provide fuel for heating.
So despite being a curse, the water hyacinth has created a beehive of activities for women groups in Malawi by providing them the necessary substrate for growing mushroom and as a source of wood energy for domestic use through briquettes at home. One way of getting ride of it would be to increase the participating groups of women in activities like mushroom growing and briquettes making to reduce it wide spread in rivers and lakes in the country and the region as a whole.
Greece to promote truffle cultivation 