About this module
Mushrooms grow in a small shaded room, on waste sawdust, in a few weeks. That makes them one of the best businesses for people with little land, little money, or a disability.
Who it is for. People with no formal certificate. National Proficiency I is a bridging level for people with minimal education. Much of the work can be done seated, and FAO wrote its mushroom guide especially for growers with disabilities.
Why mushrooms
- Ghana grows oyster mushrooms on composted sawdust of the wawa tree with rice bran and lime.
- Western Region timber firms produce plenty of sawdust: in one survey, 80% of timber firms did not manage their waste and burnt or dumped the sawdust.
- In Takoradi in 2024, 54 women, nine of them with disabilities, were trained in mushroom production and given start-up kits.
- Ghana's EU-funded Promush project trained thousands and employed hundreds of women, youth and persons with disabilities; before it, the project says, no person with a disability worked in mushroom production in the area.
CTVET status. No mushroom programme appears on CTVET's lists of approved competency-based programmes. This module is not a CTVET curriculum. CSIR-Food Research Institute in Accra has trained mushroom growers for about two decades and sells spawned bags.
How the module works
Each unit has learning outcomes, performance criteria, the range and the evidence your assessor needs. You are judged Competent or Not Yet Competent from what your assessor sees, asks and reads in your logbook. About 70% of the time is practical, following CTVET's Oil Palm programme, which uses about 30% in school and 70% at the workplace.
Unit 1 · Work safely and cleanly
Mushrooms are food, so cleanliness is everything. Dirt brings mould, and mould kills the crop.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 1.1 Keep it clean | washes hands; cleans tools and surfaces with alcohol |
| 1.2 Stay safe at the drum | handles steam, fire and hot bags safely |
| 1.3 Protect your lungs | wears a mask in the growing house |
| 1.4 Never eat wild mushrooms | explains why only cultivated mushrooms are sold |
Range. Whole production cycle. Evidence. Observation every session; oral questions.
Wild mushrooms
Every year hundreds of people become ill and some die from eating wrongly identified wild mushrooms; cultivated mushrooms are the safe choice. Never pick or sell wild mushrooms.
Spores
Indoor growing releases huge numbers of tiny spores. Breathing them for years can cause a lung illness called "mushroom worker's lung"; one oyster mushroom grower became ill after six years. Wear a mask when harvesting and keep the house well aired.
Mould and contamination
Green mould (Trichoderma) can destroy an oyster crop completely. It comes in on dirty substrate, air, tools, clothes and animals. Remove any bag with green mould at once, away from the house.
Steam and fire
The drum is very hot for hours. Let it cool for about 20 minutes before opening. Wear thick gloves, stand back from the steam when opening, keep children away, and keep water or sand by the fire.
Clean start
- Wash hands the right way; clean a table and tools with alcohol.
- Put on a mask and clean clothes for the growing house.
- Walk the site and point out three ways dirt could reach the bags.
Wild mushrooms at home
Ask at home whether anyone picks wild mushrooms. Explain the danger.
Unit 2 · Build the growing house
A cheap house of local materials works well if it is shaded, damp, airy and clean.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 2.1 Site the house | chooses a site above flood level, near water, away from dust and compost |
| 2.2 Build or set up racks | sets up racks reachable from standing or a wheelchair |
| 2.3 Control the climate | keeps humidity and air flow right |
Range. Small local-material house. Evidence. House or rack set-up; site report.
The house
FAO advises a house above flood level, well ventilated and near water, built from bamboo, thatch, leaves, old sacks or shade net on a compacted earth or cement floor. A house of 2 m × 3 m holds about 1,000 bags; 5 m × 6 m holds about 4,000. A small water trench around the house keeps ants out and can still be crossed by a wheelchair; racks can be built low enough to reach from a wheelchair.
Set up the house
- Choose the site with your trainer; note sun, water, wind and dust.
- Build or repair racks at two heights.
- Hang a thermometer and check humidity by feel and by watching the bags.
Sketch your house
Draw a growing house that would fit at your home, with its size and how many bags it holds.
Unit 3 · Prepare the substrate and bags
The substrate is the mushroom's food. Mix it right, compost it well, and bag it firmly.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 3.1 Mix the substrate | weighs and mixes sawdust, bran, lime and water |
| 3.2 Compost it | turns the heap on schedule |
| 3.3 Bag it | fills bags to the right weight and firmness |
Range. Sawdust substrate. Evidence. Mixing record; bags checked.
The Ghana recipe
Fresh sawdust with 10% rice bran and 1% lime by weight, wetted to about 70% moisture, heaped on a cement floor and composted for 21–28 days. Composted sawdust gives better yields than fresh sawdust. Where there is no sawdust, maize stalks or husks with rice bran can be used, but yields are lower.
Squeeze test: squeeze a handful. A few drops of water means about right; a stream means too wet; nothing means too dry.
Bagging
Ghana growers fill about 1 kg of substrate into heat-resistant bags of about 18 cm × 32 cm. FAO uses 800–1,000 g bags. Press firmly, fit a neck ring, and plug with cotton wool.
Mix 100 kg
For 100 kg of sawdust: (1) how much rice bran? (2) how much lime? (3) about how many 1 kg bags will you fill, roughly, once bran and water are added?
Make the heap and the bags
- Weigh and mix a heap; wet it to the squeeze test.
- Turn it as scheduled; record the dates.
- After composting, fill and weigh 50 bags; fit rings and plugs.
Find the sawdust
Find the nearest sawmill or carpenter. Ask if they give or sell sawdust and from which wood.
Unit 4 · Steam, cool and spawn
Steaming kills the germs. Spawning plants the mushroom. Both must be clean.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 4.1 Steam the bags | steams at the right temperature and time |
| 4.2 Spawn cleanly | spawns cooled bags in a clean room |
| 4.3 Incubate | stores bags in the dark and checks them |
Range. Drum steaming; grain spawn. Evidence. Steaming record; spawned bags; observation.
Steaming
How long to steam? Ghana research steams bags at 95–100 °C for 2.5 hours. FAO's drum method steams 3–4 hours after the temperature reaches 90–100 °C. Use 3 hours from boiling to be safe, and check your results.
Cool the bags fully before spawning: hot bags kill the spawn.
Spawning
Work in a clean room, near an alcohol-lamp flame, with clean hands. FAO adds 10–20 spawn-covered grains per bag. Buy spawn from a reliable source such as CSIR-FRI.
Incubation (spawn run)
Keep bags in the dark while the white threads (mycelium) grow through. FAO gives about 4 weeks at 25–35 °C; Ghana strains took 40–48 days in one study and 22–26 days in others. Remove any bag with green, black or orange patches.
Steam and spawn
- Load and steam a drum of bags; record times and temperatures.
- Cool the bags overnight.
- Clean the room, light the alcohol lamp, and spawn the bags.
- Stack in the dark; check and record twice a week.
Spawn-run chart
Draw a chart to record each week how much of the bag is white.
Unit 5 · Grow, harvest and store
When the bag is fully white, open it, keep it damp, and pick the mushrooms young.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 5.1 Open and mist | opens bags and keeps humidity at 75–90% |
| 5.2 Harvest | picks at the right stage without damage |
| 5.3 Store | keeps mushrooms fresh and clean |
| 5.4 Record yields | weighs and records each harvest |
Range. Oyster mushrooms. Evidence. Yield record; harvested mushrooms.
Cropping
Move fully colonised bags to the growing house and open them. Keep humidity at 75–90%: mist "often but not much each time", without wetting inside the bags. Open and close doors to control air and heat. Check for mites and pests at least twice a week. Deformed mushrooms mean poor air or too much humidity.
Harvest and yield
Pick 2–3 days after the mushrooms appear. FAO expects 250–350 g per bag over 4–5 flushes. In Ghana trials most strains gave at least 3 flushes, but the first flush was by far the biggest and later ones very small.
Storage
Fresh mushrooms keep only 12–24 hours in a fridge; without a fridge, keep them on banana leaves in a cool, airy place. Sell fast, or dry them.
Crop cycle
- Open colonised bags; mist and air the house daily.
- Harvest by twisting gently at the base; trim and clean.
- Weigh each day's harvest and record per bag.
- Pack for sale in clean bags.
Taste test
Cook mushrooms at home in a dish your family likes. Write what they said.
Unit 6 · Your location and business ideas
Grow close to your sawdust and water, sell close to your buyers, and sell more than just fresh mushrooms.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 6.1 Choose a location | scores a site with the location checklist |
| 6.2 Add income ideas | plans at least three extra products or services |
Range. Real or planned site. Evidence. Location report; business plan.
Choosing a location
- Clean and shaded. Away from dust, animals, toilets and compost heaps.
- Water. Clean water close by.
- Above flood level with good air flow.
- Sawdust nearby. Sawmills and carpentry areas; in Promush, sawdust trading itself became a business.
- Buyers nearby. Hotels, restaurants, markets and homes. Fresh mushrooms last only a day, so travel time matters.
- Access for all. Level paths and low racks.
Most oyster mushroom farmers in Greater Accra sell more than half their crop to hotels, restaurants and homes that order from them.
Ideas to earn more
- Sell spawned bags to new growers: CSIR-FRI's commercial unit does this, and bags are advertised at about GH¢30.
- Dried mushrooms and mushroom shito (advertised at GH¢80–160).
- Ready-to-eat sauces, as DeliMush does through over 100 retailers.
- Spent bags: compost them, use as chicken bedding or nursery soil.
- Pickled or fried mushroom snacks.
- Train others once you are skilled.
FDA registration is needed for packaged products: cottage-industry registration is GH¢150 per product for three years.
Ten buyers
Ask ten possible buyers (chop bars, hotels, market women, neighbours) if they would buy mushrooms, how much, and how often.
Unit 7 · Market yourself and manage the money
Many people have never cooked mushrooms. Show them how, and they become loyal customers.
Competency standard
| Learning outcome | Performance criteria — the trainee… |
|---|---|
| 7.1 Market yourself | sets up a WhatsApp Business catalogue and a tasting |
| 7.2 Cost a bag | calculates cost per bag and profit |
| 7.3 Keep records | records costs, harvests and sales |
Range. The trainee's planned business. Evidence. Catalogue; costing; record book.
Sell well
- FAO advises selling at the farm, markets, restaurants, hotels and supermarkets; harvest young, keep mushrooms clean and trimmed, and pack in air-filled paper or plastic bags.
- WhatsApp Business catalogue with photos and prices.
- Tastings: cook small portions at a market and share a simple recipe.
- Labels for packaged products must follow FDA rules; health claims need proof.
- Keep regular days for delivery to hotels and restaurants. Reliability wins contracts.
How much will I earn? Advertised prices for fresh mushrooms range from about GH¢10 to GH¢100 with unclear units. Promush farmers averaged about GH¢2,300 a month, but some online claims of a million cedis a year are not believable. Start small, record everything, and grow from real sales.
Cost a bag
Per 100 bags: sawdust GH¢50, rice bran GH¢80, lime GH¢20, bags and rings GH¢150, spawn GH¢300, firewood GH¢100, labour GH¢300. Each bag yields 300 g. (1) Cost per bag? (2) Cost per kg of mushrooms? (3) If you sell at GH¢60 per kg, profit per 100 bags?
Launch kit
- Make a WhatsApp Business catalogue with photos of your mushrooms.
- Run a tasting at a market or the hub.
- Write a one-page plan: site, bags per cycle, costs, buyers, prices.
- Start a record book: date, bags, harvest (kg), sales, costs.
First order
Get one real order from a chop bar, hotel or neighbour and deliver it on time.
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Biological efficiency | Weight of mushrooms compared with weight of dry substrate |
| Competent / Not Yet Competent | The two possible results of a CBT assessment |
| Flush | One wave of mushrooms from a bag |
| Mycelium | The white threads of the mushroom that grow through the bag |
| Spawn | Grain covered in mushroom mycelium, used like seed |
| Spawn run | The time the mycelium takes to fill the bag |
| Substrate | The material the mushroom grows on (sawdust mix) |
| Trichoderma | Green mould that destroys the crop |
Logbook
Copy these pages into an exercise book. Your logbook is part of your assessment evidence.
- Unit 1: hygiene checks
- Unit 2: house sketch; rack set-up
- Unit 3: mixing and composting record; bag weights
- Unit 4: steaming record; spawning date; spawn-run chart
- Unit 5: harvest and yield records
- Unit 6: location report; ten buyers
- Unit 7: catalogue; costing; record book
- Every homework, dated
Self-check quiz
- Why must you never sell wild mushrooms?
- Why wear a mask when harvesting?
- What do you do with a bag showing green mould?
- What is the Ghana sawdust recipe?
- How long should the substrate compost?
- Why must bags cool before spawning?
- What humidity does the growing house need?
- How long do fresh mushrooms keep in a fridge?
- Name three products besides fresh mushrooms.
- Name two things to check when choosing a location.
Further reading and sources
Best next reads: FAO's mushroom growing guide for people with disabilities; CSIR-Food Research Institute's mushroom training.
What this module does not cover: making your own spawn in a laboratory, other mushroom species, and current Takoradi mushroom prices (not found; ask local buyers).
Every source used in this manual is listed, with links, in the Teacher Copy.