INTERNATIONAL
e-LEARNING - INTERACTIVE SELF-PACED TOPICS

Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and Caribbean, Northern America, Oceania

Focussed Cultivation Topics e-Learning

A deep dive into a specific subject or issue for a thorough and comprehensive analysis thereof. The following nine topics are available:

1. Spawn 
   Understanding the grain and liquid spawn making process
2. Substrate
   How to select the most suitable mushroom cultivation substrate ingredients
3. Cropping
   Understanding the spawn run process and the different mushroom cultivation stages
4. Marketing 
   Understanding the mushroom market and pricing
5. Business Plans
   How to structure a mushroom cultivation business plan
6. Operations
   How to manage the operational activities of a mushroom cultivation enterprise
7. Case Studies
   Critical evaluation of mushroom cultivation scenarios
8. Problem Solving
   A once-off emergency consultation service
9. Business Rescue
   If you have previously been advised by amateurs with no formal qualifications in as far as the cultivation of mushrooms are concerned

PLATFORM

• Modules via e-mail
• Attached PDF, XLSX and JPG documents

TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Ability to send and receive e-mail
• Preferably an e-mail address where size limitation is not a barrier (minimum 25 Mb) e.g. gmail.com or yahoo.com 

TOPIC DURATION SPECIFICS

• Own pace and schedule
• No time limitations

HOW TO CHOOSE THE CORRECT CURRENCY

Each topic has two different rates, the

1. Discounted SADC member rate as listed in ZAR (South African Rand) and the
2. International non-SADC rate as stated in EURO

Discounted SADC member rate as listed in ZAR
Participants from SADC countries www.sadc.int/member-states qualify for the discounted rate as listed in ZAR (South African Rand), but ONLY when paid in ZAR, either directly via

• Manual EFT
• Instant EFT by Payfast, or the
• Payfast payment gateway

International non-SADC rate as stated in EURO
Participants from non-SADC countries should use the secure PayPal gateway to pay the rate as stated in EURO, either directly via

• PayPal, or the
• PayPal debit / credit card options (PayPal account is not a prerequisite to these card payments)

Why would you consider e-Learning?

• The proportion of individuals joining e-Learning interactive self-paced training for professional upgrade and for recreational purposes is growing immensely
• As e-Learning denotes the physical separation of the learner from the instructor, it is characterised by non-contiguous communication, meaning that the learner and instructor are separated not only in space but also in time
• e-Learning reaches out to learners wherever they live or wish to study
• If you have access to e-mail, the popular e-Learning method would be the preferred choice
• The e-Learning learner is typically in full, partial or no employment and / or having family and social commitments

What are the advantages of e-Learning over Virtual learning?

• A distinguished and proven method in education 
• Unique combination of instructor-initiated and self-paced training, thus greater flexibility as it allows learners to study at their own pace over a longer period of time
• Ability to complete your topic as quickly or slowly as circumstance dictates
• Eliminating the technical set-up requirements associated with virtual sessions
• All information in clear and easy to understand modules via e-mail, attached PDF, XLSX and JPG documents
• One learner per instructor, thus undivided attention. Also unlimited e-mail and / or cell phone access to instructor whilst studying the focussed cultivation topic. Problem solving emergencies are usually resolved via WhatsApp text or calls
• Recognising the immense social interaction needs of all human beings, we will spend a considerable amount of time guiding you through the material, explaining the finer detail and addressing your questions 
• Ability to continue without interruption, even during unexpected events such as the COVID-19 pandemic 
• More cost-effective when compared to virtual training

Why registering for a focussed cultivation topic at the Academy?

• You are dealing with experienced mushroom specialists, in other words, professionals who completed post graduate degrees at universities, worked at research institutes and served the private industries over years 
• Mushroom cultivation is a field of specialisation. We also recommend you complete the training before spending on infrastructure you will probably not need 
• Value for money. A surprisingly high number of spawn, cultivating and so-called mushroom guru topics are run by amateurs, with no applicable or formal qualifications. Training should preferably be left to the professionals. Unless you want to be a mushroom hobbyist