Women in Zimbabwe hunt for wild mushrooms during rainy season.
Originally Published 2 years ago — by The Associated Press
In Zimbabwe, the rainy season brings a bounty of wild mushrooms that many rural families feast upon and sell to boost their incomes. However, each year there are reports of people dying after eating poisonous fungi. Discerning between safe and toxic mushrooms has evolved into an inter-generational transfer of indigenous knowledge from mothers to daughters. Women are dominant players in Zimbabwe’s mushroom trade, and they transfer the indigenous knowledge from one generation to the other. About one in four women who forage for wild mushrooms are often accompanied by their daughters. On average, each family made just over $100 a month from selling wild mushrooms, in addition to relying on the fungi for their own household food consumption.