Edible mushrooms are collected from the wild. They are currently threatened by deforestation. A survey was carried out
and to gather information on their household consumption, income generation and to determine how their cultivation could
improve rural livelihood. Mushrooms are sources of food, income and of medicinal value. The market for mushrooms
continues to grow due to interest in their culinary, nutritional, and health benefits. They also show potential for use in waste
management. However, as fungi, mushrooms have life cycles very different from those of green plants. The choice of
species to raise depends both on the growth media available and on market considerations. Oyster mushrooms, which grow
on many substrates, are easiest for a beginner. Shiitake mushrooms already have earned considerable consumer demand.
Only two mycorrhizal mushrooms, morels and truffles, have been commercially cultivated. Mushroom cultivation offers
benefits to market gardens when it is integrated into the existing production system. A careful analysis of potential markets
must be the first step in deciding whether to raise mushrooms to sell. Mushrooms are cultivated only on small scale but
efforts are underway to extend improved methods of its cultivation to the rural communities, thereby providing them with
alternative livelihood and thus ease the pressure on the forests.
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