The document discusses establishing a mushroom spawn production unit in Kaparada, Gujarat to benefit tribal women. Currently, women face issues accessing affordable spawn, inconsistent production/sales, and lack value addition opportunities. The proposed intervention is a community-run spawn unit with a daily 15kg capacity. It aims to ensure sustainable local spawn access, boost consistent mushroom cultivation/sales, and enable value addition. The 24-month pilot will benefit 150-200 women through training, increased incomes, and an alternative livelihood option especially during crises like pandemics.

2. 1. Introduction:
1.1. BAIF INDIA
Bhartiya Agro-Industrial Foundation (BAIF) recognized the traditional entrepreneurial
skill of tribal women and introduced some of the new income-generating activities in
tribal pockets of South Gujarat. The Mission of BAIF is to create opportunities for gainful
self-employment for rural families, especially disadvantaged sections for ensuring
sustainable livelihood, enriching the environment, improving the quality of life, and good
human value.
One such activity introduced by BAIF was Oyster Mushroom Cultivation. It was
introduced to the tribal women of Dang during the COVID -19 crisis when the pandemic
was at its peak in the month of December 2019 as an immediate alternative to generate
their livelihood. Mushroom cultivation has two-fold advantages, one is, it can be
produced in a very small plot or in the backyard and secondly, it becomes an instant
boom due to its quick production cycle. Apart from that, mushrooms are highly nutritious
and can be used for self-consumption and the surplus could be sold off in the local
market at a very high profit margin.
It would be wrong to say that the tribal region of South Gujarat had never witnessed
mushroom cultivation prior to BAIF’s intervention as the villages of Kalibel,Koshmal &
Kaprada have been actively involved in oyster mushroom production for a long period
of time. They are well trained in the production white
1.2. Project Background:
The report from the recent projects indicates a success with more than 200 tribal women
participation over 40 SHG groups and the output remained at around 65-70 Kg per cycle
which was sold at around 200 rupees per Kg. It accounts for an income generation of
around 10,000-15,000 per cycle. Nevertheless, implementation has witnessed a setback
as the spawn is not available easily and it has to be ordered through middle men.
Naturally, the total cost has gone up and the spawn takes a lot of time to be delivered in
the village due to lack of logistical and transportation infrastructure. Hence, it is acting as
a major setback for the project to continue.
Currently, the best alternative solution is to set up a local spawn production unit. It will
resolve the issue of higher cost and transportation. It is certain that a maximum number
of women will come forward and act as catalysts for development. Additionally, it will
boost the overall mushroom production in nearby areas by ensuring spawn to be locally

3. available.
1.2.1. Statement of the Problem:
● Issues in marketing: It was observed
that most of the cultivators were
unable to sell fresh oyster mushroom
in bigger markets owing to high
production cost and low shelf life.
Another observation related to
marketing was the absence of
standard and healthy packaging
practices which led to contamination of
the product.
● Spawn production monopoly:
Almost 90% of the supplied spawn
seeds across Valsad,Dangs and
Kaprada region comes from a single
vendor based out of Vapi district.
While this leads to a higher waiting
period to sow the mushroom spawn it
also hinders the yield capacity.
The actual cost of producing 1kg of
oyster mushroom spawn is about Rs.60/kg if produced at the local level whereas
the vendor makes approximately 100% profits per kg which reduces profit margins
for the cultivators.
● Seasonal inconsistencies: The ideal temperature to grow fresh oyster
mushrooms is between 15-25 degree Celsius. The region witnesses temperatures
as high as 44degrees during the summer months and receives heavy rainfall
during monsoon seasons, making it impossible to grow mushrooms throughout the
year except during winter months from Oct-March.
● Value addition: Owing to inconsistent supply and seasonality of mushroom it
becomes difficult to engage in any kind of value-added oyster mushroom products.
Small scale value added products like mushroom soup, pakoda,
biryani,noodles,papad,khakra have little or no demand in nearby markets. On the
other hand, large scale production of products like mushroom powder, ready-to-
eat soups,energy drink mixes etc require large amounts of mushroom on a day-to-
day basis which is impossible with the inconsistent supply and seasonality of the
produce.
● Individualistic approach: All the existing and prior interventions related to
mushroom cultivation in the region by the government/NGO’s were aimed at
bringing the tribal community together through building self-help groups for
enhanced livelihood for the entire village. But the majority of the cultivators seem
to work at an individualistic level which leads to inconsistencies in pricing, higher
risk and lower profit margins.

4. 1.2.2. Project Objective:
1. To establish a mushroom
spawn production unit at the
local level.
2. To reduce the cost of
mushroom production.
3. To ensure consistency of
production by giving access
to mushroom spawn at the
local level.
1.2.3. Project Rationale:
After the success of the mushroom
cultivation over the years with
maximum women participation. It
was quite evident that the mushroom production could be one of the best additional
sources of livelihood for the migrant workers. The first reason being the cost effective
methods of production and quick output. The risk involved during and after the production
cycle is comparatively less and can be afforded by the marginalized sections.
Along with that, it has been witnessed that an active participation from the women group
has not only increased the level of income but also added to the development of
communication skills, entrepreneurial spirits and confidence.
The journey needs to be continued but a major setback of non availability of mushroom
spawn locally, higher charges by the middlemen has been a matter of great concern.
Therefore, the project is facing a major difficulty in attracting the maximum number of
women and facing a huge challenge in front. However, the solution to this issue could
be to make spawn locally available at the lowest cost possible.
The local survey clearly shows the willingness and interest of the tribal women if the
spawn cost could be reduced to at least half the current price. Also, they have shown a
major concern regarding the long waiting period while purchasing the spawn. Thus, the
objective of establishing a community driven spawn unit is to eradicate the issues of
inaccessibility of the spawns at the local level. This step would also encourage other
nearby village women to not only participate in the mushroom production but also to get
a hold of their livelihood.

5. 2. Proposed Intervention:
It was quite evident from the discussion in section 1 that a localised mushroom spawn
unit is a need of the hour. In order to establish a consistent and reliable source of
livelihood for the women, the community mushroom spawn unit is the key intervention.
2.1. Project Tenure:
The project will be implemented on a pilot basis for a duration of 24 months.
2.2. Project Location:
The proposed project location is Kaparada, Gujarat. Kaparada is a taluka in Valsad
district, Gujarat, India, near the border to Maharashtra. It is located in the Western Ghats.
It is a predominantly tribal district and the major tribes are Kokna and Warli. Additionally,
Kaparada receives highest rainfall in the state of Gujarat.
2.3. Key Interventions:
1. Civil Construction of the Spawn Unit: The Spawn unit will consist of around 8
rooms and details are as follows:
a. Office Room
b. Storage Room
c. Boiling Room
d. Autoclaving Room
e. Corridor fitted with UV
f. Inoculation Room
g. Inoculation Room 1 & 2
h. Cold Room
2. Procurement of Machineries: In order to establish a systematic community
spawn unit, the following machineries needs to be procured:
a. Laminar Flow: The airborne particles contain spores of contaminants,
dangerous to the production of mushroom spawn and other cultures. The
use of a laminar flow minimizes the exposure of these contaminants through
the use of a HEPA filter which cleans the air and creates a clean space for
working.
b. Autoclave: Autoclaves chambers will be use to contain pressurized steam
in a controlled manner.
c. Inoculation Chamber: Inoculation chambers will be used for introducing
the mushroom spawn to the planting areas.

6. 2.4. Project Capacity
The community mushroom spawn unit will have a capacity of 15kg/day.
2.5. Project Flow:
Sl No. Activity
1 Mobilization of Women for setting up a working committee
2 Setting up of the Production unit
3 Procurement of the machineries and other equipment
4 Induction Program for the working committee
5 Conduct Village level assessment including baseline survey and PRA
6 Identification and formation of SHG groups
7 Detailed training on technicalities for mushroom spawn production.
8 Training on community-based management of the unit
9 Training in accounts, marketing and management
10 Workshop on taking up mushroom as an alternative source of livelihood especially
during a pandemic
12 Mobilizing women from within and nearby villages to take up mushroom as an
alternative source of income.
13 Cluster level meetings
14 Baseline survey for exploring the scope of increasing the capacity of the unit.
15 Quarterly review meeting
16 Project Evaluation
2.6. Outcome:
Around 150-200 women will directly be benefited by getting direct access to mushroom
spawn locally which will help in increasing the alternate livelihood income. Along with

7. that, a consistent production of mushrooms will be ensured by this initiation. Further, this
would enhance the possibility of inclusion of mushrooms in the value chain process as it
needs constant supply of raw materials. They key outcomes are being discussed below:
1. SUSTAINABILITY: The basis of establishing the mushroom spawn production unit
at the local level is to ensure sustainability and consistency. The unit will be
operated and managed by the community and hence no external supervision
would be required in the long run. It will at the same time boost mushroom
cultivation all across the region with a higher probability of spreading across the
nearby states.
2. INNOVATION: The technology used for the unit has kept simple by keeping the
operationalization in mind. The rural women will handle it efficiently by generating
maximum output.
3. SCALABILITY AND REPLICABILITY: The capacity of the unit can be increased
and it can be easily replicated.
4. KEY BENEFITS TO THE LAST MILE:The remote village will have access to
mushroom spawn at a very low cost which now they have to procure from urban
areas. It involves a large communication channel and waiting period and along
with that, the cost is very high. The most crucial impact it will create is to aware the
people about an alternative source of livelihood and help to overcome instability
and uncertainty like a pandemic.
2.7. Budget:
Sl no. Category Particulars Amount Total
1 Infrastructure Civil Construction 1,50,000 2,25,000
Air Conditioner (x3) 75,000
2 Machineries Laminar Flow 90,000 1,37,000
Autoclave 20,500
Inoculation chamber 27,000
3 Human Community mobilizer 1,80,000 4,46,000

8. Resource Monitoring & Evaluation officer 2,16,000 `
Consultancy Fees 50,000
4 Training &
Workshop
Training & Workshops 50,000 80,000
Cluster Meetings 30,000
5 Others Misc. 30,000 30,000
Total 9,18,000
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