Modular Methods for Oyster Mushroom Cultivation in Low-Resource Settings

Food insecurity is a grave issue faced by millions of people across the globe and is growing in severity as a result of climate-related stressors on agricultural systems. Mushroom production, an agricultural approach that is profitable and scalable due to its low input requirements, short turnaround times, year-round viability, and utilization of agricultural byproducts, holds significant potential in contributing to food security. However, commercial mushroom production is difficult to pursue in low-resource settings due to a lack of capital and unreliable electricity access. After four years of research and experimentation in rural Sierra Leone, our team has developed a low-cost, low-tech, and reliable approach for commercial mushroom production. This article presents our highly modular process for spawn propagation, substrate pasteurization, inoculation, and harvest that allows entrepreneurs to build profitable and scalable production facilities. This standardized approach consistently yields 50% of the mass of inputted cereal straw substrate in fresh mushrooms 28 days after inoculation, which indicates its promise as a cost-effective and reliable method for contributing to food security in Sierra Leone and similar low-resource settings.