Through the oyster mushrooms value chain in Rubavu District, nearly 400 small farmers with a very small land, little investment and great will, have had the ambition to create horticultural micro-enterprises with an innovative business model.

By recycling agricultural waste including coffee pulp from Rubavu coffee washing stations, they produce varied, delicious, nutritious, eco-responsible, excellent quality and market-competitive oyster mushrooms and vegetables while creating decent jobs in villages.

In a zero-waste system, the used mushrooms substrate and vegetable waste are recycled to produce marketable organic fertilizer. And the circle is complete.

As leader of the mushrooms value chain, the social enterprise MNB Ltd produces oyster mushroom substrates/seeds. The company also provides training and assistance to mushrooms producers through a system of Farmer Field Schools.