Delicious healthy mushroom dishes; knowledgeable farmers raising mushrooms, and a thriving community that depends on livelihood from mushroom production—all these consist of the vision of the Capiz State University (CapSU) when it launched the Mushroom Production Project in August 2011.
Funded by the Japan International Cooperating Agency under KR2 Fund channeled through the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Region 6, the Mushroom Production and Extension Project, among others, sought to increase the productivity of farmer beneficiaries and entrepreneurs around the community.
In 2011, CapSU’s Mushroom Training Center began propagating two varieties, namely: oyster mushroom (Pleurotus ostreatus) locally known as sal-ang and straw mushroom (Volvariella volvacea) locally known as amamakol.
Over the period of two years, the project eventually produced straw and oyster mushrooms to cater to the protein or health requirements of the community, while providing for the production needs of the farmer beneficiaries.
According to Dr. Emelita Solante, project-in-charge, the Center trained at least 300 mushroom producers and 100 product entrepreneurs from around the community—even as the entire intervention has generated additional income for mushroom farmer-beneficiaries and product entrepreneurs. Further, the project also seeks to generate technologies from researches conducted.
Proposed by Dr. Guillermo Legada, now research director and Dr. Emelita Solante, now extension director, the project supports the research and extension thrusts of CapSU’s Research, Development and Extension Center (RDEC) headed by Dr. Cora Navarra, vice-president for RDE. (Niño Manaog/Extension Associate)
