Geneva Global’s Speed School programs include Self-Help Groups (SHG), which provide the parents and guardians of Speed School students the opportunity for economic empowerment through the provision of training, material resources, capital injections, and connection to value chains. SHGs use these inputs to establish income-generating activities, usually ones that provide goods or services to the broader community, to be able to cover the costs of their children’s schooling and of other household needs. In 2024, SHGs from Buseera Kirikumwino School and Buseera Tweyambebene School in Mayuge district and Matidi School in Kitgum district have chosen mushroom cultivation as their income-generating projects, offering an unusual product to the region’s market.
In 2022, two years prior to this project, Geneva Global had begun searching for local experts in the field after a SHG in Kitgum showed interest in mushroom cultivation. Finding an expert capable of sourcing raw materials was difficult and wasn’t achieved until 2024. Mushroom cultivation serves as an uncommon but promising alternative to more traditional and labor intensive and climate vulnerable crops such as sugarcane, maize, coffee, and cacao. Unlike these conventional crops, mushrooms require less space and can be cultivated in controlled environments, thus making mushroom cultivation a possible solution to the challenges posed by unpredictable weather and land scarcity in the region. In addition, mushroom cultivation serves a niche market, so competition is lower, and profits can be higher.
Many of the three SHGs’ members were initially hesitant to embark on the mushroom cultivation journey, doubting its sustainability and market demand. Of the two groups in Mayuge district, comprising 72 total members, only 40 members showed genuine interest and completed the five-day training that Geneva Global Uganda organized. As a result, members from the two schools’ SHGs came together to form their own 40-member group. Among those who joined the venture, several were surprised to learn that mushrooms could be cultivated, previously believing that mushrooms only grow in the wild.
All three mushroom projects have been great successes in terms of economic and social gain, as well as providing members of the community with nutritional and health benefits. By cultivating mushrooms, the SHG members in Mayuge and Kitgum have earned on their investments, educated community members regarding the science of mushrooms, and introduced a new, flexible, and withstanding crop into the community’s diet. The secretary of the Mayuge-based SHG expands upon the benefits of cultivating mushrooms by stating,
Mushroom growing has helped me in several ways: it provides a delicious and affordable sauce for my family. Preparation of a mushroom meal requires little firewood.
Another SHG member in Kitgum acknowledges the quick harvest and stable income mushroom cultivation offers,
I am touched and surprised that we are harvesting mushrooms every three days and getting money almost every day compared to the alcohol brewing business that I do that requires me to travel very far on market days. With mushrooms, the market is here. I’m motivated to learn and start my own.
These anecdotes highlight that mushroom cultivation serves not only as a means of self-sufficiency on the individual level but also as a community resource.
The groups set up small, climate-controlled environments with low and high hanging plastic bags, from which the mushrooms grow and to which the SHGs refer as a mushroom “garden.” The gardens grow inside small huts where groups can maintain optimal temperatures, humidity, and air exchange for optimal cultivation, helping to mitigate the adverse effects of unpredictable weather and maximize yields. The SHGs originally launched the gardens as small production sheds, but the demand for mushrooms has since grown so large that the projects now require larger facilities. Members are planning to create other products with mushrooms, such as mushroom powder for sauce and porridge, and mushroom samosas. They are also keen to grow other types of mushrooms.
The expansion will include the addition of solar drying systems to process mushrooms into powder. Such solar drying systems would be locally crafted with furniture and plastic or metallic screens which are modified to absorb and attract heat which dries the mushrooms. These solar dryers would also serve to protect the mushrooms from insects and dust, preserve their nutritional quality after drying, and speed up the drying time significantly. This development will not only increase production capacity but also open new revenue streams, being that the solar drying system can process a variety of produce, such as pineapple, jackfruit, pumpkin, and other root crops. To support this growth, the two Buseera schools’ and Matidi School’s SHG members are seeking further training in marketing and product development. The Mayuge group has connected with wholesale buyers and local markets, selling mushrooms for about 8,000 shillings per kilogram (~$2.18). In just one month, they earned over UGX 600,000 (~$165) by gathering 14 harvests totaling 82 kilograms of mushrooms., The Kitgum group has already ordered materials to expand their production with a goal of establishing around 120 additional mushroom gardens. The project’s success has also highlighted opportunities to educate the broader community on the benefits and uses of mushrooms, as well as their many health benefits, including immune system improvement and their value as an affordable protein source.
Looking ahead, the three SHGs each plan to explore markets in other regions and potentially scale up production even further. Their success in mushroom cultivation has not only boosted family income and savings but has also positioned the SHG members as role models within their community. Despite their initial hesitancy and skepticism, four SHG members in Mayuge who had refused to join the Mushroom SHG have since constructed their own mushroom-growing units at home, which they are operating in addition to their original SHG activities. Non-group members are now eager to learn from these achievements, highlighting the initiative’s broader impact.
The mushroom cultivation project represents more than just a successful business venture; it is a symbol of innovation and community empowerment. Through their dedication and adaptability, the SHG members from the three schools are making a profound difference, transforming challenges into opportunities and demonstrating the power of collective effort. The SHG members have not simply gained an entrepreneurial mindset and found a way to earn money, they have established financial stability for the overall benefit of their families, fueled by a shared understanding that access to a stable education for all their children will allow them to eventually emerge from poverty.