Performance of mushroom farming enterprise in Eastern Uganda

Mushrooms constitute an important source of selenium, potassium, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin D, proteins and fibre. Due to their nutraceutical properties, they are used for prevention of Parkinson, Alzheimer, hypertension and stroke diseases. Despite their importance, prevailing production technologies and techniques as well as high market demand, smallholder farmers are differently adopting their cultivation, thus the need for a study to understand drivers of mushroom cultivation in smallholder production systems. To that effect, a cross-sectional study was carried out in Eastern Uganda to evaluate drivers and economic performance of smallholder mushroom enterprises. The study sample comprised of 60 farmers and two key informants. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected to facilitate generation of descriptive statistics and gross margins. Findings showed that on average mushroom farmers obtained a gross margin of 1,008,000 shillings (USD 272.4), per production period of about three months at small scale production level of about 50 gardens. The factors affecting mushroom production include lack of production and market information, limited access to quality inputs, high input prices as well as negative attitudes towards mushroom cultivation and cultivated mushrooms. Strategies for unlocking the potential of mushroom cultivation among smallholder farmers, therefore, lie in enhancing information and technologies dissemination. Key words: Mushrooms cultivation, smallholders production, Uganda