Adeline Umukunzi shows mushrooms from one of the shelters in which she grows the crop, on her farm located in Muko Sector, Musanze District, on Saturday, March 18, 2023. Emmanuel Ntirenganya
Emmanuel Ntirenganya
Thursday, March 23, 2023
Adeline Umukunzi stands in a field in Musanze District picking nutritious mushrooms from inside a small covered structure. The structure provides an environment with moisture, low light, and humidity, which enables these umbrella-shaped fungi to thrive.
Umukunzi, who is now 28-years-old started growing mushrooms in 2018 after completing secondary school, with just 10 mushroom spawns, locally known as “imigina,” which she bought at Rwf5,000 and grew in a basin filled with soil.
Mushroom spawns can be likened to seeds for crops, and Umukunzi said one can produce some 400 grams in a three-month life span. “I used to sell the mushrooms to neighbors and increased investment as they expressed appreciation for them,” she said.