The Improving Livelihoods through Mushrooms Project will enable poor households in Zimbabwe to sustainably improve their livelihoods in support of UN Sustainability Development Goals (SDGs): 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well-being), 5 (Gender Equality) and 10 (Reduced Inequalities). This will be achieved through: Enabling participants to obtain significant and predictable income through the farming and sale of high value mushrooms at fair prices
The populations of the participating communities are extremely vulnerable. Their poverty, exacerbated by persistent drought, and the lack of employment opportunities, contributes to poor nutrition, crime, including domestic violence and theft, and lack of access to education as many children become carers for ailing parents and/or are forced to find a source of income.
This project will enable participants, their families, and the wider communities to improve their lives through increased and sustainable income, better nutrition, improved gender relations. Mushrooms are the ideal crop in these circumstances. They use a small fraction of the water required by any of those foodstuffs and have: many times more yield per square meter; a much lower carbon footprint; high protein and vitamin B content; a ready, increasing and accessible market and low input costs.
This project aims: To train 50 households, representing 300 people in mushroom farming, and generate sustainable income to provide for their families daily needs as well as expand the project ;To sell approximately 12,000 punnets every 4 weeks and to generate approximately $6,000 USD every 4 weeks. Using the generated income as follows :50% to the 50 project beneficiaries ; 20% to cover production costs ;10 % to cover administrative costs and 20% for the expansion of the project.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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