From Water Scarcity to Sustainable Income: Mushroom Farming in Rural Madhya Pradesh

Gandhi Fellow Sanmay Das, originally from West Bengal, is a software engineer and alumnus of Sister Nivedita University, currently working in Madhya Pradesh to explore sustainable livelihood solutions for rural communities. During his field engagement, Sanmay observed a recurring challenge faced by farmers—4–5 months of water scarcity every year, declining farm incomes, and repeated crop losses despite high effort and long crop cycles.

Traditional farming practices in the region demand high water input and carry significant risk, often resulting in low or negative returns. In response, Sanmay explored mushroom farming as an alternative livelihood option—low on water, scalable, and capable of empowering both farmers and women.

The primary challenge was awareness. Most farmers were unfamiliar with mushrooms, and those who had heard of them lacked knowledge about cultivation, harvesting, and market access. With no local livelihood NGO support, Sanmay adopted a learning-by-doing approach. He mobilised a small group of interested farmers, raised funds, and travelled to Bhopal for paid mushroom cultivation training. He also identified two buyers willing to purchase mushrooms at fixed rates, reducing market risk.

A pilot was launched using 10 kg of mushroom spawn, cultivated across two locations—one farmer’s home and one tehsil-level government employee’s residence. Despite early setbacks, including damage to nearly 20% of grow bags, mushrooms began emerging within weeks, boosting farmer confidence.

Alongside production, Sanmay worked on demand creation by introducing mushroom fritters through local food vendors, helping normalise mushrooms in daily diets.

This initiative demonstrates how small, well-planned experiments can open pathways to resilient, low-risk livelihoods in water-stressed regions—turning uncertainty into opportunity, one grow bag at a time.