Juncao Technology Helps Rwandan Graduates Tackling Poverty via Mushroom Production

Editor's note: The following story is written by Mr. Damascene Sakindi from Kigali, capital of Rwanda, introducing how he has benefited from mushroom cultivation with Juncao technology after trained in the Sino-Rwanda Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center.

My name is Damascene Sakindi, manager of a local agricultural firm based in Muhanga District which was formed to equip farmers with mushroom growing skills and also help in the fight against malnutrition and poverty in the district and surrounding areas, supported by Chinese Juncao experts.

Having graduated at University of Rwanda, College of Agriculture, I thought of ways of advancing my career and earning from agriculture. Though I tried venturing into coffee and horticulture, it didn’t yield like I had anticipated.

After carrying out research in mushroom farming and trained in the Sino-Rwanda Agricultural Technology Demonstration Center, I was certain that it was a business that needed only little capital to start. Yet, with it, one could soon milk much cash.

In March 2018, I reached out to my friend, Mr. Emmanuel Musangamfura, with the idea of starting our own company, an idea the latter bought. Ever since then, the two of us have managed to get positive outcomes from farmers and have been able to create employment opportunities to a number of people in Muhanga.

Damascene Sakindi sorting out mushrooms after the harvest. [Photos by Joan Mbabazi]

Since we were trained in agriculture, we were equipped with skills that we needed to transfer to the farmers to make a change in their lives. We started with training farmers in Muhanga and Ngororero Districts. The company that started with few farmers has grown and we are working with up to 300 local farmers.

We provide farmers, cooperatives of women and jobless youth with mushroom tubes which they plant in small shaded tents and harvest after a period of between 10 days and three months. It is our duty to advertise their products and connect them to different markets all over Kigali. Each of them is expected to produce between 20Kgs and 50 Kgs of mushrooms. We also deliver the mushrooms to hotels, local markets, restaurants and individual homes.

Our basic objective is focused on vulnerable people especially the elderly men and women, orphans unskilled youths in rural areas and girls who gave birth before completing school. We aim at helping them grow mushrooms in the small spaces and yet earn from it to cater for their families and evading idleness among the youth.

One mushroom tube goes for about Rwf 470 for the company. One Kg mushrooms that harvested from one tube value at about Rwf 1,000 to Rwf 2,500, so the farmers’ business is quite lucrative.

We also wanted to contribute to the government’s goal of eradicating malnutrition as mushrooms are rich in vitamins, which help the body to get energy thus assisting in the formation of red blood cells. It is also rich in vitamin B which is important for a healthy brain. Studies show that eating mushrooms can also boost one’s immune system, help to prevent respiratory infections, improve digestion, achieve weight loss and help fight ailments.

However, there is still insufficient capital which hinders us from expanding the project, and mushrooms are also often affected by insects and diseases, but they are also perishable products and need timely handling and selling after harvest, to minimize and loss to the farmers.

It requires little capital and a small space to grow mushrooms but is profitable. Mushroom farming with Juncao Technology requires only very little capital and very little space to start with, but it is a very profitable business. We will continue to coach the farmers to make a detailed production cost budget and help them seek stable markets to achieve their goals. It will be a big challenge for us, but we will try to do it.

For more information, please contact WFP China COE (wfpcn.coe@wfp.org)