Sources of information for urban mushroom growers in Accra, Ghana

Abstract

The study attempts to assess sources of agricultural information for urban mushroom farmers in part of Accra, Ghana. One hundred active mushroom farmers in the study area were sampled, and a structured questionnaire was administered to solicit information from the respondents. Results showed that majority of the urban mushroom farmers were male (71%) and most of them (60%) have university and other tertiary education. Majority of the farmers (44%) have between 1-5 years of experience in cultivation of mushroom. Co-farmers (89.8%), Mushroom Growers Association (79.6%), training workshop (73.5%), and farmers` forum (29.6%) readily served as information sources for farmers. The research revealed that (52%) of urban mushroom growers identified were ignorance of information source to use as a major hindrance in their quest for agricultural information. The study recommends that the Mushroom Growers’ Association should be strengthened to provide the needed support to its members, and also CSIR and other stakeholders such as the Ministry of Agriculture should collaborate to organize regular trainings on mushroom cultivation, since the cultivation and production of mushroom offers a lot of benefits that could help in reduction of vulnerability to poverty and strengthen livelihoods through the generation of a fast yielding and nutritious source of food and a reliable source of income