Impact of climate change on Kashmir’s mushroom pickers

Subject :Environment

Section: Msc

Context:

Unpredictable weather patterns, early springs, and above-average temperatures have left gucchi mushroom hunters in distress, facing another season of low yield for the second consecutive year

About Gucchi Mushroom:

A variety of fungus.
Also known as Moral.
Preferred for its nutty, earthy flavour.
Gucchis can vary in colour from blonde to dark black.
The truffle-like fungi can fetch prices upward of Rs 40,000 a kg due to their scarcity and short growing season.
Location: They can normally be found on southerly slopes and sunny areas before showing up on the northern side of hills or in the shade.
- Mainly grown in the Himalayan region of Jammu and Kashmir.
- Mountains of Ramban, Kupwara and Anantnag districts.
Climatic conditions required:
- Temperature: 15-20^O Celsius is most suitable
- Ideal weather conditions for the great morel are when daytime Celsius is between 15 and 20 and night-time temperatures are in the five to nine.
- The thunder and rain allow the mushrooms to sprout.
Gucchi mushrooms are difficult to spot on the wooded floor and often blend perfectly with their surroundings.
But their spongy and honeycomb-looking top gives them a distinctive appearance. The mushroom does not grow in the same spot many times.

Impact of climate change:

Gucchis are weather dependent, triggered by the temp and moisture. The past few years have been bad for pickers of morel mushrooms in Jammu and Kashmir.
The cultivation is impacted due to:
- Above average temperature
- Reduced rainfall during March and April months
- Erratic spring weather
Gucchi is becoming rarer because of climate change, deforestation, and habitat destruction.
The Jammu and Kashmir forest department data shows morel mushroom production has shrunk from 2,000 quintals in 1991 to around 45 quintals in 2021.
Wild mushrooms are sprouting early because of climate change, and it gets wasted because there is no one to pick them up at that time.