Posted September 2000

The training center

Summary Introduction Objectives of the project The training center Why mushrooms? The project team Training of trainers Selecting trainees The training Buildings, tools and equipment Outreach and impacts Feasibility, sustainability, replicability Selected success cases Conclusions and recommendations Annex 1: Layout of mushroom cultivation center Annex 2: Buildings and equipment Annex 3: Main steps in mushroom cultivation Annex 4: Contributors to the project's success

The training center in mushroom cultivation was created under the care of the Department of Public Welfare at the Northeastern Rehabilitation Center for Disabled Persons in Ubon Ratchathani. The center uses 24 buildings on a 45-rai land, which include 7 buildings for residence of trainees and another 7 for trainers. The center has been in operation for four and a half years and is dedicated to helping people with disabilities remain in their community while acquiring skills to become self-sufficient. The center has been offering rehabilitation to mentally disabled people and vocational training for people with physical disabilities. The main courses offered have been motorcycle repair; leather sewing, welding and massage for visually impaired people. The mushroom cultivation training center set-up 12 new buildings using approximately 3-rai of land; four are permanent buildings while eight are semi-permanent with their necessary equipment.

A new short term training program in entrepreneurship development based on agricultural activities was set-up at the center catering for rural disabled seeking new opportunities to generate or supplement income. Mushroom cultivation was introduced to the center's officers who viewed this project as offering the advantage of being a product in demand for the region and did not imply any slaughtering as in the case of chicken and duck raising.

The center and its officers are now proud of the project's success after only fourteen months of operation. They will continue to offer training for disabled people interested in mushroom cultivation. The center will further train two groups per year, each group comprising of twenty disabled trainees following the basic methodology introduced with FAO. However, the approach will be modified including non-disabled trainees; there will be ten non-disabled family members of disabled people. These family members are expected to learn about mushroom cultivation and transfer know-how to the disabled family member. This will especially serve hearing, visually and multiple disabled people that have difficulties communicating and participating in group activities and who need individual attention.