When we think of mushrooms and the southern Mexico state of Oaxaca, the initial thing which typically comes to mind is Mar�a Sabina, Huautla de Jim�nez and hallucinogenic “magic” mushrooms. But little by little that’s all altering as an effect of the revolutionary work of Josefina Jim�nez and Johann Mathieu in mycology, through their business, Mico-l�gica.
Based in the village of Benito Ju�rez, located in Oaxaca’s Ixtl�n district (more generally known as the Sierra Norte, the state’s main ecotourism region), Mico-l�gica’s quest is threefold: to train both Mexicans and visitors to typically the country in the low-cost cultivation of a variety of mushroom kinds; to teach about typically the medicinal, nutritional in addition to environmental (sustainable) price of mushrooms; and conduct ongoing research regarding optimum climatic regions and the diversity of substrata for mushroom traditions.
The French-born Mathieu moved to Mexico, and in fact in order to Huautla de Jim�nez, in 2005. “Yes, coming all the way to Mexico from France to be able to pursue my fascination in mushrooms appears like a long way to travel, ” Mathieu explained inside a recent interview within Oaxaca. “But generally there really wasn’t most of an opportunity in order to conduct studies and even grow an enterprise throughout Western Europe, inches he continues, “since reverence for mushrooms had been basically completely eradicated by The Church over typically the course of generations; and I discovered that Mexico still maintains an admiration and appreciation for the medicinal and vitamins and minerals of hongos. Mexico is far coming from mycophobic. “
Huautla de Jim�nez is more than the usual five hour drive from the closest city center. Accordingly, Mathieu eventually realized of which staying in Huautla, while holding an historical allure and becoming in a geographic region conducive in order to working with mushrooms, would hinder the efforts to grow a company and cultivate widespread interest inside learning about fungi. Mathieu became conscious of the robust trustworthiness of Oaxaca’s ecotourism communities of the Sierra Norte, plus indeed the Salón Regional de Hongos Silvestres (regional outrageous mushroom festival), organised annually in Cuahimoloyas.
Mathieu met Josefina Jim�nez at typically the summertime weekend mushroom event. Jim�nez acquired relocated to Oaxaca through hometown Mexico Town in 2002. Typically the two shared related interests; Jim�nez experienced studied agronomy, plus for close to a decade had recently been working with environmentally friendly agriculture projects in rural farming neighborhoods in the Huasteca Potosina region of San Luis Potos�, the mountains of Batallador and the coast of Chiapas. Mathieu and even Jim�nez became organization, and after that life lovers in Benito Ju�rez.
Mathieu and Jim�nez are concentrating on three mushroom types in their hands-on seminars; oyster (seta), shitake and reishi. Their one-day training courses are for oyster mushrooms, and two-day clinics for typically the latter two species of fungus. “With reishi, and to the lesser extent shitake, we’re also instructing a fair little bit in regards to the medicinal makes use of of mushrooms, thus additional time is required, inch says Mathieu, “and with oyster mushrooms it’s predominantly [but not exclusively] a course on cultivation. very well
While training training seminars are now only given in Benito Ju�rez, Mathieu in addition to Jim�nez plan to be able to expand operations in order to include both the central valleys in addition to coastal regions regarding Oaxaca. The thing is to be able to have a community of producers increasing different mushrooms that happen to be optimally suited intended for cultivation based in the particular microclimate. There are on medicinal mushrooms near me of 70 sub-species associated with oyster mushrooms, and even thus like a types, the adaptability regarding the oyster mushroom to different damage through climate regions is outstanding. “The oyster could be grown within a multitude of different substrata, plus that’s what we are going to experimenting with right this moment, ” he elucidates. The oyster mushroom can thrive whenever grown on goods which would otherwise be waste, such as discard from cultivating beans, sugar cane, agave (including the fibrous waste produced in mezcal distillation), peas, the common river reed generally known as carriso, sawdust, and the list goes in. Agricultural waste which often may otherwise end up being left to get rotten or be burned up, each with undesirable environmental implications, may form substrata with regard to mushroom cultivation. It has to be taken into account, though trite, that mushroom cultivation is really a highly sustainable, alternative industry. Over the past several years Mexico has the truth is recently been at the conscience in many areas of sustainable market.
Mathieu exemplifies just how mushrooms can function an arguably perhaps greater environmental fine:
“They can hold as much as thirty thousand times their bulk, having implications for inhibiting erosion. They already have been accustomed to clear up oil splatters through absorption and thus are an important automobile for habitat repair. Research has already been carried out with mushrooms within the battle against carpenter ant devastation; it’s been advised that the use of fungi has the potential to be able to completely revamp the particular pesticide industry in an green method. There are virtually hundreds of some other eco-friendly applications with regard to mushroom use, and even in each situation the mushroom is still an edible by-product. Take a search at the Robert Stamets YouTube lecture, 6 Ways Mushrooms Can Save The World. “