Excelsior Correspondent
KARGIL, Oct 21: Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK) Kargil of SKUAST-K in collaboration with the Department of Botany, University of Jammu (JU) organized a one day capacity building workshop for farm women on wild edible mushroom resources and their nutritional importance.
The workshop was organized under the National Mission for Himalayan Studies (NMHS) project on ‘Database Development on Diversity and Indigenous Knowledge on Mushrooms towards their cultivation and conservation in Trans Himalayan district of Kargil’. The project was sanctioned to Prof. Yash Pal Sharma, Department of Botany, JU & Principal Investigator, NMHS project and Prof Rupam Kapoor, Delhi University & Co-PI, while Dr Nassreen F. Kacho, Scientist, Plant Pathology of KVK, Kargil was the local implementing partner.
Addressing the prospective farm women of Kargil, Prof. Sharma highlighted the diversity and importance of wild mushroom resources and their socio-economic potential in Himalayan UTs of J&K and Ladakh.
He said, with an ever-increasing population and growing incidence of malnutrition, the wild edible mushrooms can be an alternative source in food security.
He further opined that the profitable mushroom cultivation requires close attention, experience and skills and therefore the objective of the workshop was to create awareness and impart skills amongst the participating women on the cultivation techniques of growing wild mushrooms. These wild edible mushrooms once domesticated can be grown throughout the season under controlled atmospheric conditions.
Earlier, Dr Nassreen F. Kacho, Scientist, KVK, Kargil gave a brief presentation of the mushroom cultivation activities undertaken at KVK, Kargil.
“In Kargil, the ‘Dhingri’ mushroom cultivation has been recently introduced for the first time by KVK, Kargil and the results of the cultivation are promisingly encouraging,” informed Dr. Kacho.
Dr. Tahir Mehmood, Project Fellow, spoke on the cultivation aspects of wild edible mushrooms while Mr Syed Azhar, SRF informed the participants about different schemes for entrepreneurship ventures.
Parveena Akhtar, a renowned entrepreneur of Kargil and a social activist working on women empowerment, proposed the formal vote of thanks.
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