Mushroom farming is gaining ground in urban Zimbabwe, with more and more people growing the delicacy in their backyard to earn extra bucks.

Linda Choto, 40, earns up to $400 a week from her mushroom farming business in Harare.

Choto is among hundreds of city dwellers in Zimbabwe who have of late switched to mushroom farming, turning the wild vegetable into gold. “I make between $200 to $400 a week through my mushroom business depending on the type of mushroom available,” Choto said.

‘Ground meat’

With Zimbabwe’s economy in the doldrums, many like Choto have become the suppliers of the vegetarian “ground meat,” which has proven popular for many jobless city dwellers in Harare like Givemore Nhari.

“It’s the mushroom that makes us taste meat because the mushroom is affordable, unlike the real meat at the butcher which I last ate on Christmas,” said Nhau.

So emerging mushroom farmers in Zimbabwe’s cities help supply the affordable nutritional needs of the majority like Nhari.

Mushroom farming is gaining popularity at a time when the coronavirus pandemic in Zimbabwe has left many people jobless.

Helping the jobless

Like many others, Blessing Munautsi, 61, a resident of Westgate, a low-density suburb in the capital Harare, started mushroom farming after losing her job in 2016 at an industrial firm.

Like Choto, Munautsi is making rich pickings from growing mushrooms.

“It depends on the harvest. I make about 24,000 to 25,000 Zimbabwean dollars per week,” or about $200, Munautsi emphasised.

After she was fired from her job, Munautsi said she turned to a friend well versed with growing mushrooms, learning the ropes before moving into the business in the backyard of her rented house.

Choto, who already has an 8-5 p.m. job, started the business in 2017, growing oyster mushrooms. She has already made huge strides, turning herself into a mass grower of the delicacy.

She has captured a huge market for her product, as many like Nhari turn to mushrooms as the only affordable delicacy across Zimbabwe’s cities.

“I enjoy this form of smart farming, which requires less time, effort, and space. I’ve also been able to make a reasonable second source of income by growing mushrooms.”

Mushroom market difficulty

But the city farming also carries headaches for growers, because buyers of the delicacy often underprice their product.

In fact, said Choto, “prices in Zimbabwe are not favorable and are determined by the buyer, thereby undermining the farmer.”

“Over the years, as growers, we have tried to set a market price, but the buyers have not been keen to engage with us and understand the process of growing,” Choto said.

Government agricultural officers, like David Charwara, based in Chinhoyi, are skeptical of urban mushroom farming.

“Mushroom is a particular crop with distinct growing conditions. Most urban dwellers will be lucky to have a taste of it, as the natural conditions for growing mushrooms are a rarity in our towns,” Charwara said.

For Charwara, even as many mushroom growers like Choto and Munautsi soldier on with their venture, they face stiff competition from the mushrooms shooting up in the wilderness.

“The number of mushrooms which grow in our bushes each year can’t be quantified,” said Charwara.

Despite all odds, 40-year-old Laura Muzanenhamo in Ruwa, a sprawling suburb in Goromonzi, a town about 35 km (21 mi.) east of Harare, has opted for mushroom farming. She makes about $50 to $70 a week from mushroom sales.

Initially, Muzanenhamo said she was not motivated by a desire to make money “But later I started farming on a commercial scale after realizing its business potential,” she said.

Not labor-intensive

“People are turning to organic foods for health reasons. Meat is becoming expensive. Mushrooms don’t require large tracts of land. They’re not labor intensive either. And in towns, a market is available,” said Gogo.

Even the elite class dwelling in posh suburbs of the capital Harare has scrambled to join the venture.

Irene Mkondo, 66, a retired college lecturer living in Glen Lorne, an affluent northern suburb of Harare, said: “When I retired, I decided to venture into growing oyster mushrooms because I had the time and needed to make money while I was at home.”

She added: “Mushrooms are a high-value crop sought after by big supermarkets, restaurants, and hotels. So this becomes a motivation on its own for urban dwellers to venture into its farming. Mushroom farming needs a small area with a well-built 10×5-meter darkroom, which is easy and cheap to make.”