Scaling a sustainable mushroom production model in Nicaragua, creating livelihoods for single mothers and disabled youngsters through circular economy and local spawn production.
Background
ViaVia World is a Belgian cooperative that combines hospitality with social innovation. Through its network of travellers' cafés, it creates places where people meet, enjoy food and culture, explore new perspectives, and contribute to a more sustainable world. In this project, the host organisation is ViaVia León, which operates as a bar, restaurant and hotel in León, Nicaragua.
The project addresses several local challenges. In León, many single mothers depend on relatives for childcare and income, while disabled youngsters face limited opportunities for education and work. At the same time, mushrooms are hardly available in the region despite their nutritional value, and spawn is not locally available either. ViaVia León also generates reusable organic and packaging waste — such as coffee grounds, cardboard and plastic — which can be used as substrate for mushroom production.
This is a continuation project: the basic mushroom production has already been started, and the next step is to make the model more sustainable and less dependent on external inputs. The focus has shifted from simply growing mushrooms to strengthening the system so that production can continue, local spawn can be produced, and the model can be replicated beyond ViaVia León.
I2Impact Students
The student team will work on the further development of the mushroom production cycle and on setting up a basic facility for local spawn production. This is important because long-term sustainability depends on reducing the need to keep buying spawn from outside Nicaragua.
At the same time, the project aims to support a home-based livelihood model: in a later phase, single mothers should receive do-it-at-home kits so they can grow mushrooms themselves and generate income at home. This follow-up project is therefore also about improving and optimising those kits so that they remain practical, affordable and workable in the local context.
What Students Do
The project unfolds across two phases. The preparation phase (September–June) focuses on feasibility studies and design work. The implementation phase involves a 6–8 week on-site experience in León, Nicaragua.
September – June
Summer — 6–8 weeks in León
Why It Matters
By turning the mushroom project into a more sustainable follow-up model, the project can create paid work for single mothers and disabled youngsters while introducing a nutritious product that is currently scarce in León.
Create paid employment for single mothers and disabled youngsters with limited other opportunities
Introduce a locally produced nutritious food product currently scarce in the León region
Reduce dependence on imported inputs through local spawn production and circular waste reuse
Enable home-based income generation for single mothers through scalable do-it-at-home kits