Dec 2024: Following a pre-training session in November where SHG women collectively identified mushroom cultivation as a promising livelihood option, Ammachi Labs and Centre for Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality (CWEGE) conducted a hands-on training session in Dunda village under the COVID Community Resilience Resource Centre (CCRRC) Project. Supported by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India, this initiative provided local women with practical skills to set up mushroom units marking a concrete step toward self-sufficiency and women-led rural entrepreneurship.Out of the 30 participants, 29 were women, a powerful signal of growing interest in women-led livelihoods.

The session was designed not just to teach, but to practice. Participants worked in teams to mix straw, wash, and prepare the substrate, a vital step in mushroom farming that ensures productivity and hygiene. All materials were arranged and provided as part of the CCRRC initiative, helping women focus entirely on the training without worrying about access to resources.

Following the training session, the women went on to establish four mushroom cultivation units and prepared a total of 400 mushroom bags, a significant and empowering first step toward launching their own micro-enterprise. For many of these women, this was their first hands-on experience in agri-business.