Tuesday, November 5, 2013

From innovators, a clean mushroom farming technology

Oyster cluster mushroom. Mushroom Blue says its technology takes care of the environment and promises quick returns. Photo/FILE

Oyster cluster mushroom. Mushroom Blue says its technology takes care of the environment and promises quick returns. Photo/FILE 
By Ernest Chitechi
In Summary
  • The start-up company, Mushroom Blue, would turn waste into nutritious food by growing mushrooms on the tonnes of coffee husks and pulp generated daily.
  • The idea was to kill three birds with one stone —reduce environmental degradation, fight hunger and create employment.
  • Mushroom Blue plans to train farmers and offer technical support as well as market access. The company envisions a future in which waste from many crops, not just coffee, will be turned into food that meets the needs of the masses.

Two months after graduating from university, Nyawira Gitaka and Mbachia Ng’ethe took a bold step in starting a green business.
The start-up company, Mushroom Blue, would turn waste into nutritious food by growing mushrooms on the tonnes of coffee husks and pulp generated daily.
The idea was to kill three birds with one stone —reduce environmental degradation, fight hunger and create employment.
“The business model responds to our needs as entrepreneurs, the community’s needs as well as those of the environment,” said Mr Ng’ethe.
“With these three aspects together, you have the beginnings of something that makes a real impact in people’s lives.”
Mushrooms, which have high protein content, do not require irrigation, and can even be grown in urban areas known for scarcity of land, and can boost food security in a country that is food-deficient like Kenya.
However, the lack of technical skills has locked out many from growing mushrooms, making it a near-exclusive economic activity in Kenya.
Soil acidity
Worst affected by this state of affairs are small-scale farmers, whose level of expertise due to limited training has lowered their gains from farming as a business.
Mushroom Blue plans to train farmers and offer technical support as well as market access.
The company envisions a future in which waste from many crops, not just coffee, will be turned into food that meets the needs of the masses.
In addition to providing food, Mushroom Blue’s business model offers a crucial service in environmental conservation.
Factories in Kenya’s coffee growing zones often tackle waste from the husking process.
Often, this waste is burned, releasing harmful greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. Farmers also use coffee husks as fertiliser.
However, in their raw form, the husks can be harmful to the environment, acidifying the soil and making it less suitable for farming.

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