THE TRAINING

Learning about mushrooms
From Theory to practice
Training approach
Start-up procedure
Proposed schedule

Learning about mushrooms

Trainers need to have solid knowledge on mushroom cultivation in order to train others. Trainers must be capable of teaching about mushrooms, their health properties and benefits, their cultivation, processing and how to run a mushroom production farm. More specifically, trainers need to learn about the various tasks involved in the whole process of mushroom cultivation, the various types of cultivation according to the various types of mushrooms, and the processing and transformation of cultivated mushrooms.

Several specialists, teachers and speakers can participate in the training, thus offering a wider approach and maintaining more interest for trainees.

Training is divided into two parts: a theoretical understanding and practical “hands-on” experience.

A detailed description of the various tasks involved in mushroom cultivation can be found in the second part of this manual. Each of these tasks requires certain abilities and therefore can be difficult or impossible to perform in a conventional way by some people with certain disabilities. Alternative approaches for accomplishing certain tasks need to be developed by trainers to help trainees develop their own strategic ways of accomplishing all tasks required in mushroom cultivation. Trainees that have become trainers are in the best position to teach other trainees about different ways of accomplishing required tasks.

From Theory to practice

Continuous need for training

The following section is an intensive review of what you, as a TRAINER, should know about mushroom cultivation. It is highly recommended that if you have no experience in mushroom cultivation, you should identify an expert that will give you intensive training and continuous technical support.

From theory	To practice
Theory	Practice
· Nature of Mushrooms	· Tissue culture
· Mushroom cultivation as a business	· PDA
· Mushrooms around the country	· Spawn production
· Mushroom tissue culture	· Sorghum seed production
· Mushroom spawn production	· Mushrooms in the wild and on markets
Theory	Practice
· Substrate bag production	· Substrate bags production
· Incubation	· Management of incubation and fruiting body
· Harvesting	· Mushroom bed production and harvesting and marketing
· Paddy straw mushroom production and harvesting	· Processing techniques and recipes
· Mushroom marketing
Theory	Practice
· Equipment, tools and mushroom marketing	· Visit to mushroom processing
· Waste management and mushroom cycle business	· Visit to canning site
· Mushroom farm management	· Mushroom processing (Hed sawan or mushroom sweets)
· Mushroom processing	· Mushroom drying
· Mushroom farmers collaboration	· Packaging
· Pest and diseases	· Pest and disease management

Trainers must fully understand physical and mental requirements to perform certain tasks before selecting trainees. Generalizations are not always possible because of individual differences and capabilities. Experience will be the best reference.

Continuous need for training

Regular training is necessary for trainers to fully understand all tasks involved in mushroom cultivation as to ensure that people with disabilities will be capable of accomplishing the required tasks and that they will not be subjected to needless failure and frustrations.

Overall, capacities to be evaluated in trainees can be summarized as follows:

Capable of using hands (or use of artificial limb) Capable of moving freely (with legs or wheel chair/tricycle) Capable of seeing Capable of hearing Capable of speaking Capable of basic understanding Capable of decision making

In the case where one or several of these abilities are incapacitated or reduced in some way, alternate ways of accomplishing required tasks will need to be developed by trainers. Trainers will support and give direction to new ways of accomplishing tasks in order for trainees to become fully capable of becoming successful mushroom cultivation entrepreneurs.

Training approach

Training is conducted as a hands-on experience with some basic theory for better understanding on the meaning of the activity. You, as trainers, must closely monitor procedures and actions as to show trainees how to develop easiness in accomplishing all required tasks.

Not all trainees will be capable of fully understanding each step involved in mushroom cultivation. Many will not even wish to get involved in the more complex tasks such as spawning, inoculation and even making their own bags. For most trainees, their objective is to cultivate mushrooms, and to sell these harvested mushrooms on the fresh market in order to generate income. This means, they want to buy inoculated bags ready for fruiting. These bags can often be bought locally from nearby mushroom farms, or can be supplied by the training center, thus generating income for the center. Nevertheless, some trainees will want to make their own bags and even sell already inoculated substrate bags to increase their income. This, associated with the cultivation itself, can generate an interesting profit when managed properly.

Trainees are expected to return home and set-up a mushroom farm following training. Close monitoring will then be needed to support trainees in their new venture.

Start-up procedure

Although official training starts on the day of the opening ceremony, formalities are necessary prior to this beginning.

1. Registration of trainees and organization for accommodation

2. Meetings and discussions with trainees to review regulations at center and guidelines for training

3. Preparation of opening ceremony.

4. Opening ceremony should include municipal and provincial officials from Public Welfare, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare... as to make sure that people know of the project and continue to encourage disabled people to pursue enterprise development.

5. On the second day, trainees will be divided into four sub-groups (each sub group should have about 4-6 persons)

6. In order to facilitate hands-on experience necessary in mushroom cultivation, training is to be separated into 4 main sectors of activities, as follows:

1. Preparation of sawdust bags (sieving, mixing, bagging, transfer materials for inoculation); waste management for each step (composting, recycling), cultivation.

2. Pasteurization and inoculation, (including materials, cleaning, recording, labeling)

3. Incubation and fruiting body (carry bags from incubation to fruiting body, diseases management, watering, ventilation)

4. Harvesting, packaging, processing, marketing.

A disabled successful entrepreneur in mushroom cultivation talks about his personal experience to interested trainees

The following schedule is based on a nine weeks training program. There should be flexibility in the number of days allocated for different learning activities since each group, each individual, will learn differently according to intellectual and physical capabilities.

Proposed schedule

Week	Days	Activity	Description	Trainer
1	1	Welcoming new trainees. Meeting between trainers and trainees.	Registration of trainees and organization for accommodation. Meetings and discussions with trainees to review regulations at center and guidelines for training. Preparation of opening ceremony.	Trainers
	2-3	Motivational sessions.	Invited guest speakers and trainers discuss the difficulties of life and how to surmount them.	Guest speakers
	3-4	Group 1 (1)*, 2 (2), 3 (3), 4 (4)	Hands-on practice: Divide trainees into sub-groups. Basic explanations of the task followed by hands on experience and repetition of tasks, under the close supervision of one or few trainers. Those trainees that already have some knowledge are encouraged to help other trainees.	Trainers
2	1	Opening Ceremony.	Official opening with all trainees, trainers, municipal and provincial officials.	All
	1 day	Overview on mushrooms.	The mushroom world. How it is in nature, humidity needed ventilation, light, diseases and insects. How they can see mushrooms in their natural environment. What are the nutrients, medicinal properties, poisonous and non-poisonous species, recipes and other uses for mushrooms.	Guest speaker
2	4-5	Group 1 (1), 2 (2), 3 (3), 4 (4)	Hands-on practice. (Second week)	Trainers
3	1-2	Mushroom lovers.	How to estimate the sufficient amount manageable by the person. The amount is different for each person and is to be determined by the person itself. Close observation is crucial for successful cultivation.	Guest speaker
3	1 day	General Microbiology & Mushroom culture.	How microbes grow in nature. How are they cultivated scientifically in an aseptic way. How this can be used to grow spawn on jelly, moss and rice.	Guest speaker
3	4-5 days	Group 1 (2), 2 (3), 3 (4), 4 (1)	Hands-on practice. (Rotation of groups.)	Trainers
4	1	Mushroom cultivation in plastic bags. Management in mushroom house.	Technique in cultivation methods and tactics in management. Control of temperature, humidity, and ventilation.	Guest speaker
4	4-5	Group 1 (2), 2 (3), 3 (4), 4 (1)	Hands-on practice. (Second week).
4	1	Diseases and pests.	How to identify and control. Chemical and alternative natural methods to protect mushroom production.	Guest speaker
5	2-3	Motivational sessions.	Personal development towards a better quality of life.	Guest speakers
5	4-5	Group 1 (3), 2 (4), 3 (1), 4 (2)	Hands-on practice. (Rotation of group).	Trainer
6	1 day	Mushroom spawn (in agar and seed).	How to develop spawn, and to select the one that is clean and healthy. How to identify various types of spawns.	Guest speaker
6	1 day	Packaging & Marketing.	Strategies for packaging and marketing in remote communities.	Guest speaker
6	4-5	Group 1 (3), 2 (4), 3 (1), 4 (2)	Hands-on practice. (Second week).	Trainers
7	1	Mushroom cultivation in logs & Straw mushrooms cultivation.	Other types of mushrooms can be cultivated on logs and with rice straw. These use different cultivation techniques.	Guest speaker
7	1	Waste Management.	How to convert mushroom cultivation waste into organic fertilizer. Reuse and recycling.	Guest speaker
7	4-5	Group 1 (4), 2 (1), 3 (2), 4 (3)	Hands-on practice. (Rotation of group).	Trainers
7	1	Processing.	Transformation of mushrooms into “hed sawan” a type of sweet snack, and other types of snacks and foods.	Guest speaker
8	1-2	Enterprise development.	Running a feasible small-scale business in mushroom production.	Guest speaker
8	4-5	Group 1 (4), 2 (1), 3 (2), 4 (3)	Hands-on practice. (Second week).	Trainers
9	5	Field trips.	Visits of Small and medium size mushroom farms in the region.	Trainers
9	2	Evaluation of training.	To verify how well each trainee has learned all necessary tasks towards successful mushroom enterprise.	Trainers
9	1	Closing ceremony.	Remittance of achievement certificates to trainees.	All

*Remark: The number in bracket defines certain activities

(1) = Preparation of sawdust bags (sieving, mixing, packaging, transfer, materials for inoculation), also waste management. (composting recycling), cultivation.

(2) = Pasteurization and inoculation, (including, materials, cleaning, recording, labeling).

(3) = Incubation and fruiting body (carry bags from incubation to fruiting body, check diseases, watering).

(4) = Harvesting, packaging, processing, marketing.