Howell ‘mushroom lady’ fighting hunger with DIY fungi kits

COHOCTAH TWP. — A mushroom farmer near Howell is taking a bite out of hunger.

Erin Hamilton, of Cohoctah Township, is the founder of The Mushroom Conservatory. She sells do-it-yourself mushroom growing kits and educates interested enthusiasts.

“There are endless possibilities in health and food security,” she said. “I think we can make a dent in global hunger.”

About a year ago, The Mushroom Conservatory began working with Eagles Wings Montessori School in the Madagascar village of Ankadikely Ilafy.

Hamilton supplied the teachers with mushroom cultures so students can produce their own food with few resources.

Students at Eagles Wings Montessori School in Madagascar learn about growing mushrooms. The Mushroom Conservatory has partnered with the school.

She also works with Eco-Agric Uganda, a organization that works with rural farmers and beyond. In the past few months, hundreds of women and girls have learned how to grow mushrooms to feed their families and establish microbusinesses to sell mushrooms to others.

“I want to create more programs across Africa,” Hamilton said. “I’m working on creating a guide that covers different regions of Africa and locally available materials to grow mushrooms.”

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