Mushroom cultivation in orchards

Mushrooms require far less valuable soil, water and resources to grow than livestock, yet they are an excellent source of protein, just like meat. They also live in symbiosis with trees, exchanging nutrients with them and together they can sequester large amounts of carbon dioxide.

A previous study has shown that mushroom cultivation for food could complement tree planting efforts, or even plant trees alongside mushrooms, which is both space-saving and practical.

This would avoid the need to cut down trees to grow mushrooms, and would be more conducive to afforestation. Mushrooms could be grown in forests planted for food, for example in orchards. The researchers also see the feasibility of grafting the fungi onto trees with collected spores, which could then live symbiotically with the trees after planting. The underground network of mushrooms would support nutrient exchange, while mushroom stem and fruiting body provide food.

In addition, mushroom cultivation also supports carbon sequestration, with mushroom threads able to store relatively large amounts of carbon underground. The downside of the idea is that when mushrooms are planted alongside young forests, only one species is preferred.