Obed Nyambo, a mushroom farmer in Kamonyi District, aspired to become self-employed after completing his university studies in 2017. With strong academic performance, he initially began his farming journey by raising chicks, rabbits, and pigs.
However, upon discovering Juncao technology, a Chinese-invented invention used to grow mushrooms using chopped grass as a substrate for growing edible and medicinal mushrooms, in 2018, Nyambo realised the profitability of mushroom farming and decided to focus on it.
Developed in the 1980s by the National Engineering Research Centre of the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University of China, Juncao technology allows smallholder farmers to grow mushrooms from dried, chopped grass, without chopping down trees and harming the environment.
"Today, I can proudly say that my mushroom business has enabled me to create jobs for over 20 people in my community, helping them lift themselves out of poverty. "I pay my highest-paid worker Rwf120,000, while the lowest-paid worker earns Rwf60,000. Even those who cut the grass we use daily receive Rwf2,000," he said.
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