Impact of Trainings and Demonstrations on Promotion of Mushroom Cultivation

Mushroom cultivation can directly improve livelihoods through economic, nutritional and medicinal contributions. A complete list of 200 respondents was randomly selected who have undergone capacity building programmes through training and demonstration on mushroom production technologies at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Ariyalur district from 2014–15 to 2018–19. The study has been contemplated and carried out with an aim to ascertain the impact of capacity building programmes on knowledge level before and after conduct of trainings, adoption level during different years and constraints being faced by the mushroom growers. The highest change in perception level of 77.85 and 76.2 per cent was observed in respect of technologies related to nutritive and medicinal value of mushroom and harvesting and storage of mushroom respectively. There was the study increase in adoption of mushroom cultivation practice from 2014–15 to 2017–18 and the average adoption was 36.91 percent. Among the constraints faced by the mushroom growers, lack of finance and credit support ranks first (89.0%) and it was followed by non availability of spawn in time (80.0%). Appropriate actions to overcome these constraints to bring mushroom as an income generating and self employment ventures are suggested.