Funding Years: 2025-2027

The project focuses on using traditional food practices to improve food system sustainability and health, especially for vulnerable populations. In Zambia, mushrooms, a culturally important wild-harvested protein source, are in short supply during the dry season, contributing to decreased diet diversity and food access. Mushroom farming is seen as a climate-smart solution with minimal land and energy requirements, offering significant benefits for women and children at risk of malnutrition. However, challenges such as water access and availability of clean mushroom spawn need to be addressed for long-term success. In partnership with MIGHTi, a local nonprofit, the project will involve field research, gender-sensitive interventions, and training rural Zambian women in mushroom farming and food preservation techniques. This will empower women, improve household food security, and create a replicable micro-farming model for similar communities.

Principal Investigators:

• Brittney Sly, Assistant Professor, Food Science and Human Nutrition
• Tiffany Weir, Professor, Food Science and Human Nutrition
• John Mizia, Research Associate and Lab Director, Energy Institute