From small spores to a steady income

Women in rural Lakhanpur have long depended on seasonal agriculture and irregular wage labour. Neither gives you an income you can count on, and without that it is hard to contribute much to the household or put anything aside.

An enterprise that fits

Mushroom cultivation suits these constraints unusually well. It needs very little space, the inputs are locally available, and the growing cycle is short enough that money comes back quickly.

Under the Integrated Village Development Programme, with support from the LTIMindtree Foundation, AJKA introduced it to Taranga SHG — ten women who came together specifically to build an income of their own. The group received 7 kg of mushroom spawn along with training materials and hands-on technical guidance covering production, maintenance, harvesting and marketing.

The training mattered as much as the spawn. The women were taught scientific cultivation technique, which is what lets them run the whole cycle themselves in a small space with what is already to hand.

What it earns

Managed properly, each kilogram of spawn yields 5–6 kg of mushrooms, which sell locally at ₹140–₹160 per kg. Cultivating and selling in a regular rhythm, Taranga SHG collectively earns ₹8,000–₹9,000 a month.

That money goes to household expenses, children’s schooling, better food, and the ordinary daily costs that used to be a source of worry.

Earlier, we had very limited income opportunities. Mushroom cultivation has helped us earn regularly, learn new skills, and work together with confidence. Now we feel financially stronger and more independent.

— A member of Taranga SHG

The wider change

Alongside the income, the group has gained technical and entrepreneurial skill, real practice at managing a collective enterprise, and the confidence that comes from running something that works. It is a small intervention. It is also the beginning of rural entrepreneurship, which is a larger thing.