"The Mushroom Lady" From Uttarakhand, Who Is Providing Employment To Rural Women

Meet Divya Rawat, popularly known as “the mushroom lady” among locals. Divya lost her father when she was only seven-year-old. Hailing from a small village in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, Divya had to face a lot of difficulties from her childhood.

After completing her graduation she was getting lucrative offers from MNCs, but her love for villagers led her to reject all the offers and she went to Delhi to pursue Masters of Social Work.

After completing her post-graduation, she decided to go back to her home in Uttarakhand and start a business where she is able to empower women of hills. Divya came back to Dehradun, where she learned about mushroom business and later started mushroom farming with almost no cash in hands. Since then, she has never looked back and now it’s a well-run business in the city. She has been felicitated with several awards from state government like Sanjivani Rattan for agri-entrepreneur. She shared her story of success with The Logical Indian.

Her decision to leave everything to return to village
Everyone was shocked to hear her decision of moving back to the village. They thought she just wasting the peak time of her career. No one was happy so she moved out alone. Everyone thought that something has gone wrong in her head.

The decision to choose mushroom for her business?
Mushroom being a cash crop and the ratio difference in pricing of per kilogram is higher than other crops. Mushroom can be cultivated indoors, thus protecting the crop from the effects of calamities. Also, less area is required for the vertical cultivation of mushrooms. There is also a huge gap of demand and supply in the market. The crop can be cultivated all year round.

How can Mushroom help rural farmers?
Mushroom is a part of agriculture and is a noble profession. Mushroom means more money than any other cash crop. It will improve the condition of farmers. She has added innovation in mushroom farming and providing training in mushroom cultivation. Besides, round the year, farming can be done with no machine or electricity as well. It is so cost effective that a person can start this with just Rs. 60 in his pocket. People from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Punjab are also coming to learn the business model.