Mushroom Growing and Wealth Creation in Mbarara Municipality, A Case of Selected Mushroom Farmers.

The study was set out to explore whether mushroom growing create wealth among participating households in Mbarara Municipality. This study was guided by the following objectives: to explore whether the participating households generate income from the mushroom enterprise; to examine various investments created out of the income from the mushroom enterprise for diversified earning; and to investigate the saving capacity of the participating households for future investment and enterprise sustainability. A retrospective-prospective study design was used to investigate the aspects within the period that took place in the past so as to understand the present situation and use it to predict the future. The study population included group leaders and members. From this population the researcher sampled 50 respondents using purposive and simple random sampling techniques. The study used both questionnaire and interviews to gather field data; qualitative data was arranged according to themes and quantitative data was analyzed using Statistical package for social scientists (SPSS). From the study, it was found out that farmers generate income from mushroom growing; In addition, respondents mentioned that mushroom presents growers with high nutritional value as well as income. The study also revealed the distribution of income as positively skewed, implying that farmers ought to obtain skills and improve on the technology they use to produce more and earn much. The study concluded that mushroom growing can contribute to wealth creation in an urban setting context due to its low set-up cost, high price margin and quick returns. The study recommends that Higher Institutions of learning like Bishop Stuart University should develop outreach programmes to equip such enterprises with basic skills to enhance their efficiency and high returns leading to wealth creation and sustainable transformation.