The first cycle of harvest yielded 14 kg. Much attention was paid to ventilation, humidity and cleanliness of the growing room to prevent any bacteria. The first harvest was of good quality and provides a good basis for expanding the activities.

First layer The preparations to start the business in mushroom farming started around February 2023; however, Muweme Mushrooms was officially registered in April 2024 under the Office of the Registrar of Companies and Business Names in Zambia. The name ‘Muweme’ is a local word in one of the Zambian languages meaning ‘great, good or nice’. This depicts that the mushrooms produced are of great quality and taste.

The commonly used substrates in Zambia include agriculture residues from maize, soya beans, beans, and groundnuts. During this process, the available substrates used included wheat straw, bean stalks, soy bean stalks and maize stalks.

A mushroom growing shelter has been rented for the first harvests. The shelter will be used from April 1, 2024. The rent of the shelter is 25 euros per month.

The first batch of equipment needed was purchased using money from the grant and my savings.

The start-up capital for the company came from Skills and Business for Africa. They financed the training in Uganda and provided a loan of €500 for the first purchase of equipment.

To gain more practical knowledge of mushroom farming, I decided to attend a training in mushroom farming through an organization known as Mushroom Training and Resource Centre (MTRC) in Kabale, Uganda which took place in November 2023.

After the knowledge gained from some exposure to mushroom farming in the Netherlands, I wanted to learn more and understand it from the Zambian perspective. I therefore aligned my masters’ degree thesis research to focus on the feasibility of mushroom farming in Zambia.

During my master’s study in the Netherlands, Wim Joosten allowed me to visit the mushroom event in Den Bosch where different people in the mushroom value chain showcased their businesses. I also had an opportunity to visit a Dutch female mushroom farmer who enabled me to learn more about mushroom farming in the Netherlands.

The business orientation course offered by Skills and Business for Africa (SABFA) in the Netherlands was one of the preliminaries to starting my business. The knowledge gained from this program assisted me in coming up with the business idea of venturing into the production of oyster mushrooms. The program further helped me to fine-tune the idea, conduct some feasibility study of the business in my home country and…