From Waste to Wealth: Chiweshe Women Pioneer Affordable Mushroom Growing with Maize Cobs
There is no such thing as ‘away‘. When we throw anything away it must go somewhere
Waste to Wealth
In Chiweshe, women are turning what was once waste into wealth by using maize cobs — a common byproduct — to grow mushrooms. This simple yet powerful shift from cotton husks to maize cobs is making mushroom farming more accessible, affordable, and locally rooted.
On 10 June, women in the Chiweshe community introduced a low-cost innovation that’s turning everyday agricultural waste into a powerful tool for economic empowerment: they are now growing oyster mushrooms using ground maize meal cobs — a resource many households usually throw away.
This practical, homegrown solution is not just about improving mushroom yields — it’s about reclaiming local resources, cutting costs, and transforming livelihoods from the ground up.
A Shift Rooted in Local Knowledge
Before this innovation, many women in Chiweshe relied on cotton husks to grow mushrooms. While effective, cotton husks were hard to source and came with a cost — often making mushroom farming inaccessible to lower-income households.
The move to maize meal cobs, however, changes the game. These cobs:
- Are abundant and free
- Require minimal processing
- Retain moisture well, making them ideal for mushroom cultivation
🟣 “This has made it easier for more women to join mushroom farming,” said one participant. “We no longer have to wait for someone to bring cotton husks from town — we just use what we have.”
Innovation, Affordability, and Women’s Leadership
This shift is more than a change in technique. It represents a broader transformation: women applying their own wisdom, experimenting with local materials, and leading community-based solutions to food security and income generation.
It reflects the values we hold deeply at SWET:
- Trusting local knowledge
- Promoting agroecological practices
- Centering women’s voices and leadership
These kinds of innovations remind us that the answers we seek often lie right in front of us — in our fields, our homes, and the hands of women who are solving problems every day.
A Growing Movement
With support from partners:
🟣 IM Swedish Development Partner Southern Africa
We are scaling these practices through training, peer learning, and local experimentation. Our goal is to share this method across rural communities so that more women can grow mushrooms without barriers.
Rooted in Resourcefulness, Powered by Women
At Sprout Women Empowerment Trust, we believe change begins at the grassroots — not with what we lack, but with what we already have. Chiweshe’s mushroom growers are showing the way.
They’re not just cultivating mushrooms. They’re cultivating dignity, resilience, and futures.
#EmpoweredWomen #LocalSolutions #Agroecology #SWETVoices #FoodSovereignty #MushroomFarming #WomenInnovators
#TransformingCommunities #SproutWomenEmpowermentTrust
