Devender Kumar’s family has always grown traditional crops and vegetables in the village of Faridapur Inayat Khan, outside of Bereilly, UP. After Mrida provided mushroom cultivation training with IL&FS in 2016, Devender immediately started growing a moderate amount of mushrooms to sell in the local market. By the end of the first year, he had earned an additional lakh (100,000 INR) in income. The next year, He quintupled the size of his operation, and three nearby farmers started their own mushroom farms. With just the knowledge provided by Mrida and a desire to increase their income, these farmers can earn 5-7 lakhs more every year.
With this extra money, Devender has been able to renovate his family’s home and save for his sister’s wedding. Moving forward he hopes to grow new kinds of mushrooms and advance his storage methods to sell year-round.