MUSHROOM farming is gaining ground in urban Zimbabwe, with more and more people growing the delicacy in their backyard to earn extra bucks. Linda Choto (40) earns up to US$400 a week from her mushroom farming business in Harare, capital of the southern African country. Choto is among hundreds of city dwellers in Zimbabwe who have of late switched to mushroom farming, turning the wild vegetable into gold. “I make between US$200 to US$400 a week through my mushroom business depending on the type of mushroom available,” Choto said. ‘Ground meat’ With Zimbabwe’s economy in doldrums, many like Choto have become the suppliers of the vegetarian “ground meat,” which has proven popular for many jobless city dwellers in Harare like Givemore Nhari. “It’s the mushroom that makes us taste meat because the mushroom is affordable, unlike the real meat at the butcher which I last ate on Christmas,” Nhari said. So emerging mushroom farmers in Zimbabwe’s cities help supply the affordable nutritional needs of the majority like Nhari. Mushroom farming is gaining popularity at a time when the coronavirus pandemic in Zimbabwe has left many people jobless. Helping the jobless Like many others, Blessing Munautsi (61), a resident of Westgate, a low-density suburb in the capital Harare, started mushroom farming after losing her job in 2016 at an industrial firm. Like Choto, Munautsi is making rich pickings from growing mushrooms. “It depends on the harvest. I make about $24 000 to $25 000 per week,” or about US$200, Munautsi said. After she was fired from her job, Munautsi said she turned to a friend well-versed with growing mushrooms, learning the ropes before moving into the business in the backyard of her rented house. Choto, who already has an 8am-5pm job, started the business in 2017, growing oyster mushrooms. She has already made huge strides, turning herself into a mass grower of the delicacy. She has captured a huge market for her product, as many like Nhari turn to mushrooms as the only affordable delicacy across Zimbabwe’s cities. “The business is doing better than I expected, as not everyone can afford meat as a relish in this COVID-19 era, and mushrooms are an affordable alternative, coupled with their nutritional benefits,” Choto said. “I enjoy this form of smart farming, which requires less time, effort, and space. I’ve also been able to make a reasonable second source of income by growing mushrooms.” Mushroom market difficulty But city farming also carries headaches for growers, because buyers of the delicacy often underprice their product. In fact, said Choto, “prices in Zimbabwe are not favourable and are determined by the buyer, thereby undermining the farmer.” “Over the years, as growers, we have tried to set a market price, but the buyers have not been keen to engage with us and understand the process of growing,” Choto said. Government agricultural officers, like David Charwara, based in Chinhoyi, a town 120km west of Harare, are sceptical of urban mushroom farming. “Mushroom is a peculiar crop with distinct growing condi