Charaideo district in Assam has launched Mission Mushroom and Mission Moringa to address malnutrition while creating small-scale livelihood opportunities for rural households, women’s self-help groups, farmers and anganwadi workers and helpers.
The initiatives have been introduced by the district women and child development department in collaboration with the district administration. Their design links household nutrition with local cultivation and sales, allowing families to grow food in limited spaces while potentially generating additional income.
Mission Mushroom was launched during the ninth Rashtriya POSHAN Maah in September-October 2026, with technical support from Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Sivasagar. The programme is focused on encouraging mushroom consumption and cultivation, particularly among rural households where limited land and low investment capacity can restrict livelihood choices.
Charaideo district commissioner Neha Yadav said mushroom cultivation required little space and relatively low investment, making it suitable for household-level production. The programme aims to train women, particularly anganwadi workers and helpers, in cultivation so that they can improve household nutrition, sell produce locally and strengthen their financial independence, she said.
The district administration is conducting awareness campaigns to encourage families to include mushrooms in their regular diets. The women and child development department, working with KVK, Sivasagar, is also holding practical sessions on preparing growing materials, planting, watering, temperature management, hygiene, harvesting and storage.
The second initiative, Mission Moringa, is built around the objective of placing the nutrient-rich tree in more household and community settings. Under the theme “Moringa in every household, nutrition in every home”, the district plans to encourage plantations in residential compounds, agricultural fields, educational institutions, roadsides, community land and wastelands.
Moringa oleifera is a fast-growing and drought-resistant tree suited to Charaideo’s climatic conditions, according to the report. Its leaves, flowers, pods and seeds have nutritional and commercial uses. The initiative is intended to improve dietary diversity for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers by encouraging regular consumption of moringa.
The programme also seeks to create income opportunities through the sale of fresh leaves, tender pods, seeds, seedlings and processed products such as moringa powder and leaf tea. Leena Pawe, additional district commissioner (social welfare), said self-help groups were being encouraged to establish small-scale processing units for value-added products.
The two missions place frontline nutrition workers, households and self-help groups at the centre of implementation. Their immediate focus is cultivation, dietary awareness and training, while the district administration’s stated next steps involve continuing awareness campaigns, practical sessions and support for local processing and sales.
