The second growing period have taken place in July 2025. We planned the production with 100%, which will run from September—when the harvest begins—through December, to ensure maximum yield.

The preparations to start the business in mushroom farming started around January 2025; however, AJ Terra Fungi ventures was officially registered in May 2025 under the Office of the Registrar of Companies and Business Names in Zambia.

The first harvest was of good quality and provides a solid foundation for expanding the business. To ensure good market access, the oyster mushrooms were professionally packaged.

Sawdust was the main ingredient used as the substrate, though rice bran was included alongside some other ingredients, including but not limited to brown sugar, limestone, etc which then went through a series of processing steps to make it suitable as a growing medium for the farming oyster mushrooms. After the substrate is prepared, mycelium…

After being imbursed by Skills and Business for Africa, materials for the mushroom farm was purchased, amongst the materials were, metallic drum, firewood, twine, bundles of metallic nets, wood, planks and sawdust. The farm setup uses a combination of metallic netting and wood to protect the dark and growing room from rats and squirrels, while…

To perfect my knowledge and know-how on mushroom cultivation, I enrolled and attended an intensive training with at CHERISH MZKATHY AGRO AND ALLIED VENTURES PORT HARCOT. During this time I was personally assigned with some spawn to grow before certification. I further went for the NABG training, where I learned common errors in mushroom cultivation,…

The start-up fund for the company came in from Skills and Business for Africa. They financed the initial costs.

The financial implication and investment for the start-up phase, including the revenues, training cost, transportation TO and FRO training centre, cost of materials and utilities was summed up.

A study of the market and business standing makes clear there is a high demand for mushrooms, especially OYSTER MUSHROOMS. I also discovered that despite the demand, there was little to no supply. To bridge this gap, the idea of TERRA FUNGI MUSHROOM was birth.