Bernice Yawo Agboada, founder of Mushroom General in Ghana, grows and processes oyster mushrooms and campaigns for their place in Ghanaian diets, using the business to challenge stereotypes and create opportunities for women and persons with disabilities, AGRA reported.
Living with albinism, she has met the barriers that persons with disabilities often face, and she was also concerned that few people knew the nutritional value of mushrooms, which AGRA describes as rich in protein, fibre, B vitamins and minerals. She moved from advocacy into farming, investing her own money to build an integrated agribusiness while dealing with limited finance, inadequate processing facilities and the physical demands of farming with albinism.
The Generation Africa Fellowship gave her training, mentoring and networks that helped her expand. "One of my proudest moments is when customers return to tell me that mushrooms have become a regular part of their family's meals after learning about their nutritional value," she said. "Equally rewarding is seeing young people and persons with disabilities gain the confidence to pursue agriculture because they see someone who looks like them succeeding."
She hopes to make Mushroom General one of Ghana's leading mushroom enterprises, with more production, more value-added products, better storage and processing, and training for young people, especially women and persons with disabilities.
Photo: Chatama / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)
Source: AGRA
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