Utilization of Encroacher Bush Biomass for Ganoderma Mushroom Cultivation in Otjozondjupa Region, Namibia

Namibia faces encroachment challenges from invasive bushes. These bushes take up millions of hectares of the country’s rangelands which have negatively and positively impacted its biodiversity. Measures such as debushing and thinning have been employed to counteract the effects of aggressive bushes on the environment, groundwater recharge, farming, agriculture, ecosystems, and global gas emissions. The availability of harvested biomass has facilitated the implementation of meaningful use alternatives, such as good environmental impact while encouraging Namibian economic growth. mushroom cultivation was carried out as a viable strategy of exploiting the encroacher bush biomass and to generate therapeutic mushrooms with a high market price. The encroacher bushes such as and were ethically harvested, milled, dried, and inoculated with grain spawn to create a growing medium for mushrooms. The Okondjatu district is utilizing native encroacher bushes to reduce input costs and align food production with sustainable farming practices such as cultivation of mushrooms and production of building materials, to boost ecotourism and improve the livelihoods of bush-encroached populations. This paper discusses the indigenous uses of and products, the cultivation process of mushrooms, the environmental benefits of reducing bush encroachment, and the potential for a scaling up of mushroom and encroacher biomass project in Namibia's economy.