KOHORA: As part of Alternative Sustainable Livelihood (ASL) initiatives, Northeast’s premier biodiversity conservation organization Aaranyak recently organized a comprehensive summer mushroom cultivation training programme for marginalized Karbi families in Assam’s Karbi Anglong district.
The training programme, conducted in collaboration with Rabha Agrotech, was held from June 22 to July 18 in two phases – preliminary and final – and was administered centrally and at the village-cluster level.
The training targeted interested persons from 10 villages in the Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong landscape in Assam to support alternative sustainable livelihood opportunities through summer mushroom cultivation for marginalized families.
Twenty women participated from 10 villages in the preliminary training and learned crucial processes, such as paddy straw cutting, sterilization through boiling, and mushroom cylinder preparation. These cylinders were stored in a dark room for 20-25 days before proceeding to the further steps of summer mushroom cultivation.
After 25 days, the final training phase was held in Chandrasing Rongpi village with 19 participants.
The participants were imparted training on sand and vermicompost casting on the mushroom cylinders, and sterilisation of sand and vermicompost by chemical and non-chemical processes, among others.
The key outcome of the training was that all central training participants agreed to organise similar training in their respective villages and train the interested individuals.
While Sarlongjon Teron, Senior Project Officer in Aaranyak, delivered the welcome speech, mushroom trainer Manoranjan Saikia conducted a practical session with hands-on training and discussions, covering the steps involved in summer mushroom cultivation.
She also motivated the participants by highlighting the potential for financial prosperity through mushroom cultivation.
“We are very enthusiastic and excited. We have already trained 57 interested women in our respective village in the preliminary phase of summer mushroom cultivation, and we are optimistic about the benefits it will bring”, Jirhun Killingpi, a participant, said.
Another participant Kareng Rongpipi thanked Aaranyak for their unwavering support and dedication towards the community. She said, “Now we have been able to participate in different livelihood training programmes that were once a distant dream. We are immensely grateful for their commitment to our community and landscape,”
Aaranyak is committed to the conservation of biodiversity, ecosystems and supporting the Indigenous communities through Alternative Sustainable Livelihood activities, education, and awareness programmes residing in the Kaziranga- Karbi Anglong landscape and Manas landscape in Assam. The whole initiative was supported by IUCN, Kfw.
The organizing team of Aaranyak comprised Project Officer Joshna Terangpi, Assistant Project Officer (trainee) Sarlongki Teron, Field Assistants Prokash Engti and Beauty Terangpi, and volunteer Stephan Tokbi.
