Exploring Sustainable Disposal Solutions and Resource Utilization of White Button Mushroom Waste (SMS) in Haryana Agricultural Practices

Description

Page: 275-280

Amrit Pal¹, Amita Girdhar², Mohit Kumar³, Manpreet Singh⁴, and Ekta Yadav⁵ (Department of Business Management, CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, Haryana1^1,2,3, Department of Vegetable Science, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, Punjab⁴, and School of Commerce and Management, Starex University, Gurugram, Haryana⁵)

White button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) cultivation, in particular, is a significant agricultural and economic development catalyst. However, as a result of its high quantity and nutritional value, spent mushroom substrate (SMS), the by-product of such culture, is one of the biggest waste management issues. It is the aim of this research to investigate Haryana agricultural practical uses and green SMS disposal methods. This research looks at samples from 50 horticulture farmers and 150 mushroom farmers to identify prevalent SMS disposal methods like open-air decomposition, incineration, composting, and dumping. The findings show that even though composting is the most common and sustainable practice, unsustainable practices like open dumping and burning are common based on poor infrastructure and low awareness. The study presents evidence of SMS’s potential as a means of environmental revitalization, renewable energy production, and land enrichment. The primary SMS adoption barriers salts cost, transportation cost, and policy flaws are quantified using statistical methods, such as ANOVA, and interview and focus group qualitative data. The study is concerned with the determination of SMS based innovations through intervention measures such as public-private partnerships, road building, incentives, and education programs. The study identifies the possibility of SMS in turning waste into a valuable resource by virtue of industrial and agricultural use, resulting in economic growth, environmental protection, and sustainable farming in Haryana.