Aaranyak, a leading biodiversity conservation organization, teamed up with Chandrasingh Rongpi Memorial High School (CRMHS) to conduct a winter mushroom cultivation training at the Community Resource Centre in Chandrasing Rongpi village, located in Assam’s Karbi Anglong. The training saw participation from over twenty women from the Kohora and Diring River Basin Women Collectives.
The program aimed to empower participants by imparting skills in mushroom cultivation, enabling them to pursue a sustainable and profitable livelihood. Dr. Aparna Jyoti Rabha, an expert in mushroom cultivation and founder of Rabha Agrotech, Tezpur, led the training as the key resource person. Her expertise has been crucial in advancing local community livelihoods.
Structured to combine both theoretical and hands-on training, the program emphasized creating ideal growing conditions and preparing substrates for oyster mushroom species. Participants learned to build mushroom-growing cylinders, prepare cultivation bags, and integrate spawn with substrate. A significant focus of the session was on understanding the biology and life cycles of mushrooms and the high nutritional benefits they offer, highlighting mushrooms as a viable income source for small-scale farmers.
The training was met with enthusiasm, as illustrated by Rani Singnarpi from Sivoram Terang village, who noted the eye-opening nature of the program. A student from CRMHS, Mirrmili Kramsapi, expressed optimism about starting mushroom cultivation, grateful for the guidance from Dr. Rabha and the opportunity provided by Aaranyak.
Aaranyak remains dedicated to conserving biodiversity and supporting indigenous communities in the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong and Manas landscapes with sustainable development initiatives, aided by the backing of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and KfW.
This initiative reflects Aaranyak’s commitment to combining biodiversity conservation with community empowerment and sustainable livelihoods.
