Oyster Mushroom Technology: Impact and Assessment Study in South Gujarat

Author: S.M. Chavan, P.K. Modi, C.D. Pandya and H.R. Jadav

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Abstract

The Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) of India have been widely acknowledged for their crucial effort in promoting oyster mushroom cultivation technology to rural youth through training and demonstration programs. The purpose of present study is to investigate the impact of training programs, evaluate the mushroom production technology conducted by KVK in Tapi, Gujarat, and the challenges faced by adopters. The training and demonstration program was found to be beneficial for agricultural farming and animal husbandry because mushroom cultivation technology can provide additional income. Pre-training knowledge score was not much satisfactory. The knowledge score obtained before training was not very satisfactory. Despite this, the knowledge score that respondents received after training was more satisfactory in every aspect. The participants' education level and socioeconomic factors played a significant positive role in their knowledge gain. The evaluation of the small scale mushroom production demonstration resulted in a positive outcome, resulting in a net profit. The primary obstacle that all the respondents faced was the shortage of mushroom spawn, followed by the absence of an organized market for fresh oyster mushrooms and small-scale mushroom cultivation units are not receiving government initiatives or subsidies.

Keywords

Impact, Assessment, Oyster mushroom, Trainings, Demonstrations

Conclusion

The current study comes to the conclusion that demonstration and training are crucial for raising farmers' awareness levels and ensuring their successful adoption of technology for mushroom production. When choosing trainees for the adoption of technology that requires scientific expertise, such as mushroom cultivation, the educational background may be taken into account. In order to increase horizontal spread, it is necessary to assess the limitations that new technology adopters face. According to our current study, the main obstacles faced by adopters were a lack of organized markets and a shortage of mushroom spawn. These issues can be resolved by expanding vocational training on mushroom spawn production technology and value addition. It is important to note that the Tapi district's mushroom production is trending upward. All of the evaluation's findings for small-scale mushroom growers were favourable, suggesting that mushroom production initiatives were successful. Mushroom growers said they needed training and financial assistance from governmental and nongovernmental organizations to sustain high yields that yield enormous profits. The Tapi district's mushroom industry appears to be in its infancy and provides jobs for the unemployed, particularly young people

References

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How to cite this article

S.M. Chavan, P.K. Modi, C.D. Pandya and H.R. Jadav (2025). Oyster Mushroom Technology: Impact and Assessment Study in South Gujarat. Biological Forum, 17(3): 01-06