Nandapur, Jan, 03: By establishing 500 mushroom beds and a mushroom production center, Shanti Badanayak (29) from Debagandhana village, one of Koraput district’s top mushroom farmers, has become self-reliant and set an example for other women. Shanti says that with self-confidence, professional knowledge, and encouragement, anyone can achieve success.
At the age of five, she lost her parents. By cultivating mushrooms, she has created a distinct identity in her district and locality. She studied up to Class 5 in Debagandhana Primary School and Class 9 in Subai Balika Ashram School, continuing her education with determination.
Under programs like Odisha Livelihoods Mission, Mission Shakti, PRADAN, and Harsha Trust, mushroom cultivation has been promoted among women’s groups in Koraput, Nabarangpur, and Malkanagiri districts, as well as the Andhra Muchingput region, helping them become self-reliant. Shanti has become well-known in the district as a leading mushroom farmer and producer, and has even been recognized by the Gates Foundation.
In 2023–24, she earned ₹70,000 from mushroom cultivation. For 2024–25, she supplied mushroom spawn worth over ₹7 lakh to over 400 women’s groups and voluntary organizations in Nandapur, Lamtaput block, and other parts of the district. By the third week of this month, she had also supplied spawn to additional groups.
Shanti has also started mushroom cultivation in her own 500-bed facility. She had earlier worked as a livestock volunteer (2016–2019), gaining experience that, along with government agricultural support and capital assistance from APICOL, helped her establish her mushroom enterprise. She received ₹2 lakh assistance from BMJF to procure equipment for mushroom cultivation in Bhubaneswar and has been recognized as a leading woman mushroom farmer.
With the blessings of her father Sunadhar Dadia, mother Rama, grandmother Jema Haribala, and support from her elder brothers Ram and Madan, as well as guidance from program coordinator Rashmi Ranjan Sahu, Shanti has been able to sustain her family and plan for the future of her two sons and daughter.
She currently employs over 10 women in her mushroom production facility and has trained more than 700 women in the cultivation of various types of mushrooms, including Dingiri, Chhat, Pal Chhat, Button, and Milk mushrooms, motivating them to become self-reliant.
Nandapur Agriculture District Officer Sujata Nishank states that Shanti’s training and guidance are helping women develop personal and social skills, and Niketa Saikia, head of a voluntary organization providing support, confirms that women who wish can achieve personal and community growth through these initiatives.