Indoor Oyster Mushroom farming, a livelihood diversification option for flood affected families

Oyster mushroom farming is rapidly expanding in Nepal. Increased consciousness of its nutritional value and increased market demand is making mushroom cultivation one of the most sought businesses among the farming communities. Oyster mushroom is grown in substrate that comprises sterilized wheat or paddy straw and does not require much space compared to other crops. It’s per unit production and profit extracted is comparatively higher than other crops. This technical brief details the cultivation of oyster mushrooms from spawning to harvesting. This technical brief also discusses about oyster mushroom cultivation as an adaptive and crop diversification technique in flood plains to minimize risk of flood and drought to livelihood.