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Mushroom Farming Brings Prosperity for Families in Cambodia

on  April 16, 2019

In Cambodia, farmers have been developing their agricultural and business skills through an initiative to grow climate-smart crops. With Growing Hope Globally and in-country partner World Hope International, Rise Against Hunger has helped to pilot mushroom grow houses that increase resilience to climate change by reducing water consumption and making use of farming by-products. Project participants have received training in organic horticulture, basic business management and assistance with access to food markets.The mushroom project has made a tangible impact on many farmers in the Kampong Cham province. Previously, these farmers had struggled to provide for their families but are now able to earn consistent incomes. Here are some of their stories.

Vorn, age 42, father of four

“Because of the profits in mushrooms, our family has been prospering!” Vorn shares. “I love growing mushrooms because I don’t need to wait a long time to earn money. Mushrooms have made my family happy!”Prior to starting his mushroom house, Vorn’s family worked as laborers cutting wood. They earned a small income from a rice paddy and cassava farming but struggled to make ends meet. Vorn now has four mushroom houses, and the business has dramatically improved the family’s livelihood. They can now afford to drill a well on their own land, send their boys to school, pay off their mortgage and even purchase a truck. His family situation continues to improve, and he plans to buy more land to grow crops and generate even greater income. He wants to see his boys stay in school for a brighter future.

Ouk’s wife is pictured here.

Ouk, age 38, father of two

Debt is a common problem in Cambodia. There are many microfinance companies, and a lack of regulation leads to individuals borrowing beyond their means. Ouk invested a significant amount of money in his businesses, including by borrowing funds to rent a truck at a high interest rate.His brother then told Ouk about the opportunity to grow mushrooms. He started his first mushroom house in 2016, and now has four. With his income, he is able to pay back the loan for the trucking business.

“Growing mushrooms is a way to get out of my debt,” Ouk shares. “I am happy having my four mushroom houses and I’m looking to extend into more mushroom production.”Tol, age 35, father of one

“Before I started growing mushrooms, my only source of income was from raising pigs on my mother’s land,” Tol shares. “This business did not go well. I was not even able to pay back the loan I took to start raising pigs. I don’t own any land or any rice fields.”He adds, “I saw my brother was growing mushrooms. Production was going well and he was able to add more mushroom houses in a short period of time. In 2017, I started my first mushroom house. I like that I can earn quick money every 30 days. I stopped raising pigs. The money I have earned from growing mushrooms also helped me to pay back my loan. In August 2018, I started another mushroom house. I dream of having my own land and extending into more mushroom houses.”

Theoun, age 38, father of three

In rural Cambodia, parents are often faced with the challenge of earning enough income to send their children to school.Theoun shares, “Before growing mushrooms, I had one hectare of land to grow rice. Our family was completely dependent on that land and some extra work from manual labor. My family condition did not improve until I started to grow mushrooms.”He adds, “In 2016 I started my first mushroom house, and later that year I started a second one. My family situation has much improved and I can keep sending my kids to school. Having my own well, I can now upgrade my house and improve our living conditions. I have a dream to buy more land and I want to see my three girls have a better education and a much brighter future.”Rise Against Hunger is investing in long-term, sustainable solutions to hunger and poverty around the globe. To learn more, visit our Empowering Communities page and donate today to create brighter futures for families worldwide.

About the Author

Maggie is Rise Against Hunger's Director of Marketing and Communications and has been a team member since 2016. Maggie works to spread the word about the mission to end hunger and to engage people globally to take action.

More Posts by Maggie Luckadoo

Strength, Stability And Hope

The gift that filled Nelly’s table.

“We were yielding very little, and the crops could not sustain us the whole year,” Nelly remembers. As a mother of seven and a farmer with two decades of experience, the stress of inconsistent yields was all-consuming. A poor harvest not only strained her family financially, but also limited their own meals to just two a day. Their story reflects that of many in their fishing and farming village near a lake in the Karonga district of northern Malawi. Here, heavy rainfall makes conventional farming methods nearly impossible. The entire village is, quite literally, saturated in food insecurity — a reality that leaves families struggling to survive season after season without a dependable source of nourishment.

In 2019, Nelly began participating in Harvesting Prosperity and Resilience, a sustainable agriculture project implemented by Rise Against Hunger in partnership with the Foundation for Community Support Services (FOCUS). The project works with 3,100 smallholder farmers in Malawi’s Karonga and Mzimba districts to strengthen food and nutrition security by improving production methods, nutrition practices and household income.

Just one year later, Nelly was ready to expand the variety of crops on her farm. What land once only produced maize began to flourish with sesame, cowpeas, rice and groundnuts during the rainy season (summer), as well as maize and vegetables during the dry season (winter). Through climate-smart agriculture training, she learned new techniques like manure making, pit planting and mulching, crop rotation and intercropping. Equipped with these tools, Nelly’s farm began to thrive.

After the 2023–2024 growing season, she sold enough produce to purchase an ox cart. Her harvests in 2024-2025 season yielded over 500 pounds of crops, including 22 bags of groundnuts, seven bags of maize, 12 tins of sesame and three bags of rice. With this surplus, she was able to invest in a motorbike, which she now uses to transport African doughnuts (mandasi) that she cooks and sells — creating yet another source of income for her family.

The transformation reaches far beyond her finances. Nelly now has the stability to provide for her husband and children. “I am able to eat different food types, pay school fees for my children and fulfill the visions that I have made with my family,” she beams. “I am now sleeping peacefully without any fears of food or paying school fees for the children.”

Her leadership has also grown. Today, Nelly serves as a leader in the Harvesting Prosperity and Resilience project, teaching other farmers in her district to adopt climate-resilient, labor-saving practices. By sharing her knowledge, she is multiplying her impact — empowering her neighbors to experience the same transformation she has achieved.

Across Nelly’s community, food and economic security are on the rise. Lombani, a government extension officer for the region, explains, “I can see the community is being transformed in the sense that in the area, there is food, income and nutrition security. Development is also happening at the household level.”

Nelly reflects on what it means to invest in holistic programs that address the root causes of hunger: “We are now healthy people. Children are going to school after eating their breakfast, having high yields and different types of crops due to conservation agriculture practices. With the support from the project, we have food, and we can access other food items from the market after selling our produce.”

This is the gift that fills: a future full of stability, strength and hope. It fills tables with food, families with security and communities with the resources to thrive. It’s an investment in futures rooted in resilience and hope.