Mushroom cultivation in tropical Africa: Successes, challenges, and opportunities

Mushroom cultivation has become an essential element in the fight against food insecurity, particularly in tropical Africa where agricultural diversity is paramount. Existing literature underlines the importance of mushroom cultivation in improving availability of nutrients and fostering economic resilience. However, cultivation practices still need to be optimized and the diversity of cultivable species native in tropical Africa is largely unknown. This study addresses the role of mushroom cultivation in tropical Africa, its potential and the efforts being made. Data from 93 scientific articles on attempts to cultivate mushrooms in tropical Africa were compiled, revealing the cultivation of 31 fungal species, with Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus tuber-regium, and Lentinus squarrosulus being the most common ones. Despite global popularity, species from genera of Auricularia and Volvariella are rarely cultivated. Wild edible species remain underexplored. The results of this paper also revealed that locally available materials like yams, cassava, and maize are used for media for spawn production. Sorghum grains and sawdust are popular substrates respectively for spawn and fruiting production. Challenges include controlling environmental parameters, limited industrialization due to machinery and technique demands, and enhancing substrate efficiency through supplementation and composting. Temperature and humidity are key factors for successful cultivation, with a temperature range of 20 °C–35 °C considered optimal. Despite the abundance of information regarding mushroom cultivation in tropical Africa, further progress is required to enhance mushroom production techniques.