Revolutionizing the Mushroom Industry in Ghana
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OICI FTF Ghana FY07 Volunteers Dr. Omon Isikhuemhen, Dr. Patrick Igbowke, Halona Agouda, Doug Williams, Benjamin Atidjah (Country Manager) and Sandra Williams |
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Mushroom producers in Ghana face frequent production failures because they do not have access to reliable, disease-free spawn, the mushroom equivalent of seed. The Food Research Institute (FRI) of Ghana, the national organization responsible for maintaining stock mushroom spawn cultures and producing spawn, is not well-equipped to produce the quantity and quality of spawn that Ghanaian consumers need. Farmers must rely on amateur spawn producers to fill the gap.
A USAID Farmer-to-Farmer (FTF) volunteer, Dr. Omoanghe Isikhuemhen, has worked with Ghanaian farmers and the FRI to find a new approach to increasing the quality and quantity of mushroom spawn by joining forces with the private sector.
During his third assignment to Ghana as a USAID Farmer-to-Farmer (FTF) volunteer, Dr. Isikhuemhen, a mushroom expert from North Carolina State University, spent time with FRI and identified some of the factors contributing to the production of low-quality mushroom spawns. These included use of out-dated technology, inadequate facilities and equipment, insufficient production, and FRI’s administrative structure.
OICI FTF Ghana FY07 Volunteers Dr. Omon Isikhuemhen, Dr. Patrick Igbowke, Halona Agouda, Doug Williams, Benjamin Atidjah (Country Manager) and Sandra Williams.
To address these problems, Dr. Isikhuemhen and senior scientists at FRI discussed how a partnership with the private sector could increase spawn production and help the FRI. Under their proposal, private companies would sell spawn from FRI, and the FRI’s share of the resulting income would help pay for much-needed production equipment. Dr. Isikhuemhen will continue working closely with the team at FRI to find support for this proposal.
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