Farming mushrooms for education: A poignant tale of three girls in Patna

Nothing in life comes easy, least of all an education. For Shweta Kumari from Patna, Bihar, the path to financing her own education led her to mushroom farming.

Scholarship Registration and Login

Joining her in the famed trio of ‘Mushroom girls of Patna’ are Babita and Jyoti, hailing from Kurkuri and Bahadurpur villages respectively. These three girls have shown the way to countless others around them, of how hard work can pave the way to your dreams despite obstacles. From the income generated from mushroom farming, they have been able to support their families and even complete their higher education.

Along with 43 other trained adolescent mushroom growers, these three girls have set a new trend by becoming budding entrepreneurs in their villages. They cultivate large, nutritious oyster mushrooms in their homes and supply it to clients and nearby markets.

Their desire was to pursue higher education and become educated members in their villages, but economic condition of their respective families played a big hurdle on the way, but they didn’t give it up. Their inability to venture out of the village for more lucrative jobs made them opt for this innovative mushroom cultivation in their homes.

The Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) Lehar project, which was launched in Patna in 2015, opened many market-oriented options for the villagers such as tailoring, computers, retail and hospitality business. The project was launched to empower and improve the quality of life of 5,500 adolescent girls of 14 to 19 years. Later, Bandana Skill Development Centre stepped in to provide training and develop linkages with the business world.

Some girls, who were trained for mushroom cultivation, continued the seasonal work and supported their families with amounts varying from INR 1,000 to INR 3,000.

Babita Kumari, who could not continue her higher studies after completing intermediate, is doing mushroom cultivation and helping her family.

Career Assessment Test

“Mushroom cultivation needs very little investment — about INR 150 for husk, some spawn and bags to hang the husk,” she said, adding, “In 20 to 25 days, some 20 kg of mushroom can be harvested. With control of temperature and moisture, oyster mushrooms can be grown round the year though the best season for cultivation is September/October and March/April.”

She has cultivated mushrooms in batches of 20 kg and sells them at INR150 per kg. Her younger brother helps her in marketing the mushrooms.

Shweta, too, has shown tremendous gumption in the face of adversities. Her father is a farmer and a heart patient and her mother supplements the family income by stitching clothes.

Taking keen interest to support the family, Shweta showed interest in learning mushroom cultivation. After two days training and two months of hand holding by AKF, Shweta got into mushroom cultivation. With the income generated from mushroom farming, she has financed her education and completed graduation.

Even after marriage, she continues her studies and is currently pursuing her Bachelors in Library Science. With the support of her in-laws, she has carried on with mushroom cultivation too, and continues to generate additional income for her family.

Buddy4Study - Education Loan

“Mushroom cultivation has been a constant support to me and has helped me realize my dreams,” Shweta said.

Jyoti, another young entrepreneur in the village and a final year BA student, was among the first batch of 11 girls trained in mushroom cultivation. Mushrooms were not only the source of income for the family, it has added nutrition to the family diet as well.

“Mushroom cultivation can be started with the small capital, it requires little space and you can harvest the mushrooms within 30 to 45 days after cultivation,” Jyoti said.

Mushrooms have changed the lives and economic conditions of these girls in these villages of Bihar and they have become an example for many girls in India who are struggling to find out a way to fund their education.

Disclaimer

  1. Source of Information: Buddy4Study app compiles details on scholarships/fellowships from government websites and private scholarship sources. Links to the official sources accompany each listing detail pages.
  2. Non-affiliation: The Buddy4Study app is not associated with any government entity in India or elsewhere. When featuring government scholarships, we rely on publicly accessible information from central and state government websites in India.

Scholarships For

Upto Class 8 Class 1 to10 (Pre-Matric) Class 9 to 10 (Pre-Matric) Post-Matric(Class 11-12) Class 11 & 12 Class 12 passed Polytechnic/Diploma/ITI ITI Diploma/Polytechnic Graduation Post-Graduation Medical Engineering Girls NSP Portal Income Based SC/ST/OBC Law

Scholarship by State

NSP Scholarships Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Assam Bihar Chandigarh Chhattisgarh Delhi Goa Gujarat Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu & Kashmir Jharkhand Karnataka Kerala Madhya Pradesh Maharashtra Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Odisha Punjab Rajasthan Sikkim Tamil Nadu Telangana Tripura Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand West Bengal

Scholarships A to Z

Abdul Kalam Scholarship Aicte Internship AICTE NSP Scholarships Aicte Scholarship Aicte Swanath Scholarship Aikyashree Arunachal Pradesh scholarship Assam Scholarship Atul Maheshwari Scholarship Begum Hazrat Mahal National Scholarship Bihar Scholarship BYPL Sashakt Scholarship CBSE Scholarship Central Sector Scholarship CG Scholarship CG Scholarship Portal Chandigarh Scholarship Colgate Scholarship DCE Scholarship Delhi Scholarship Dhirubhai Ambani Scholarship Status of the Digital Gujarat Scholarship Disability Certificate Domicile Certificate Dr. Ambedkar Scholarship Dr. Ambedkar Scholarship, Haryana DRDO Scholarship Scheme For Girls DTE Scholarship in Maharashtra E Grantz E Grantz Login E Grantz Scholarship Status Kalyan Bihar Portal E Kalyan Status Epass Karnataka Ericsson Empowering Girls Scholarship Programme E. Samaj Kalyan Fellowships in India Gokdom Government Scholarships GSK Scholars Programme Gujarat Scholarship Haryana Scholarship Haryana Scholarship Portal HDFC Badhte Kadam Scholarship How to get a Caste Certificate HP Scholarship IET-India Scholarship Awards Immigration-Friendly Countries Income Certificate Indira Gandhi Single Girl Child Scholarship Inspire Scholarship Ishan Uday ITI Scholarships Jammu and Kashmir Scholarship Jharkhand Scholarship Jnanabhumi Application Status Kanyashree Karepass Karnataka Scholarships Kotak Kanya Scholarship Ladli Yojna Legrand Scholarship Mahadbt Mahadbt Login Mahadbt Scholarship Status Maharashtra Pre-Matric Scholarship Maharashtra Scholarship Manipur Scholarship MBA Scholarships in India MCM Scholarship Means Scholarship Meghalaya Scholarships Merck India Charitable Trust Scholarship Programme Merit Cum Means Scholarship For Minorities MHRD Scholarship MI Scholarship MOMA Scholarships MP Scholarship MP Scholarship Kyc MP Scholarship Portal MP Scholarship Status MYSY Scholarship Nabanna Scholarship Nagaland Scholarship National Scholarship Portal National Scholarship Portal (NSP) NMMS NSP Login NSP Renewal NSP UGC Scholarships Oasis Scholarship Oasis Scholarship Status OBC Scholarships Odisha Scholarship Olympiad ONGC Scholarship PFMS Login PFMS Scholarship Phd Scholarships PMRF PM Scholarship PMSSS Post Matric Scholarship Post-Matric Scholarship for Minorities Pragati Scholarship Pre-Matric Scholarship Pre-Matric Scholarship for Minorities Prerana Rajasthan Scholarship Rolls-Royce Unnati Scholarship Saksham Scholarship Programme for Drivers Children Saksham Scholarship Scheme Santoor Women's Scholarship SBI Asha Scholarship Programme SBI Education Loan SBI General Suraksha Support Scholarship Programme Schaeffler-India Hope Engineering Scholarship Scholarship Application Dos and Don'ts Scholarship Form Scholarships for Diploma Courses Scholarships for Indian Girls and Women Scholarships for North Eastern Students Scholarships for PG Students Scholarships for Undergraduates Scholarships in India Scholarship Status SC Scholarship SC ST Obc Scholarship Sensodyne Ida Shining Star Scholarship Programme Sitaram Jindal Scholarship SSP Scholarship ST Scholarship SVMCM Scholarship Eligibility Swami Vivekananda Scholarship Swami Vivekananda Scholarship Technip Energies India Scholarship Programme Telangana Scholarship The Tata Capital Pankh Scholarship Programme Top Scholarships for Medical Students Top Scholarships For Students Of Andhra Pradesh Tripura Scholarship Ugc Scholarship UP Post-Matric Scholarships UP Pre-Matric Scholarships UP Scholarship UP Scholarship Correction UP Scholarship Login UP Scholarship Registration UP Scholarship Renewal UP Scholarship Status Uttarakhand Scholarship Vidyalakshmi Portal Virchow Scholarship Programme VHTC WBMDFC West Bengal Scholarship