Every year, flood destroys agriculture, livestock, and fishing, inputs and production capacity of the people living in the Koshi and Ganges plains. Flood in the region has become the annual feature and it grasps the major attention of different stakeholders.

Sustaining livelihood for the people is a challenge. Caritas India initiated a programme ‘Building Resilient Livelihood for Communities In Koshi And Ganges Flood Plains’ focussing on livelihood with an overreaching approach of disaster risk reduction due to its multi-hazard profile in the target area.

700 kits of Oyster mushrooms were distributed to 23 marginalized farmers through government schemes in collaboration with the Agriculture department ( District Uddyaan office Supaul).

The first information about mushroom farming was given by the project staff, among farmer groups, women groups. Representatives from the Government department discussed mushroom farming and how it can be a source of income generation and its health benefits.

In the region silt ( white sand ) is the main concern with farmers, every year after flood new areas are filled with white sand and gradually affect the yield. Mushroom cultivation could be a diversified livelihood option for the small-holder farmers of the region.

To increase the resilience through livelihood diversification, farmers decided to cultivate mushrooms for higher yields at less expense. It does not require farmland in a small house, one can make more profit by planting more and more units at less expense. Farmers can make a change in livelihood, a person who does not have land can also easily make good money by producing at home.

It will be available to the farmers prepared in wheat straw, farmers must keep it in such places in their house where the sun does not get direct sunlight and periodically spray the water which the mushroom will take for 25 or 28 days. Inside becomes edible, high yielding farmers can earn money by selling about 2 to two and a half kilos of mushrooms in an insect ( kit).

Earlier after training 35 applications have been submitted to the department with farmer’s respective Aadhaar cards, photo, registered bank passbook. 700 kit has been given to 23 farmers from wheat straw prepared pests and farmers must keep the kit in places where sunlight does not come directly and give water spray once a week which is eatable in about 27 to 28 days. The cost of one kit is ₹ 6 per kit and one kit will yield two and a half kg in this way, Farmers can get ₹ 250 kg after selling. It also has high nutrition value.