MycoHAB is a non-profit foundation originated by the Standard Bank Group (SBG) following a collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) around the research and development of mycelium-based structures to create a new generation of building materials to benefit communities within Africa and abroad.
While mycelium research and technologies are growing exponentially, until recently, large-scale deployment only existed in widely dispersed and isolated pockets where the science, resources and finances were readily available. This made it inaccessible and too expensive for individual organisations (or countries) to tap into.
To make a tangible and sustainable impact requires a cohesive and inclusive approach that bridges information, application, know-how and funding, which is what led to the MycoHAB Foundation being established in 2021 in Mauritius.
The MycoHAB Foundation is governed by a council of members and aims to redeploy profits generated from the commercialisation of the intellectual property developed from our research into new research areas, skills development and training.
It will also mobilise and invest funding from philanthropic organisations, high net worth individuals and companies into mycelium research and development, application and advancement.
MycoHAB Namibia is harvesting and grinding down the ecologically destructive encroacher bush (Acacia mellifera) to create a substrate (food) for mycelium to grow through. The process produces gourmet mushrooms sold for profit towards the Standard Bank Buy-a-Brick Foundation, and leftover waste (mycelium composite) that gets compacted and turned into structurally sound building materials used to create affordable and dignified housing.
MycoHAB Namibia evolved from Standard Bank Namibia’s corporate social responsibility programme Buy-a-Brick Foundation, which raises funds to assist no-to-low-income Namibians living in informal settlements with brick homes.
While the MycoHAB Namibia project is creating healthier and sustainable solutions for food and housing, its broader value lies in delivering jobs, alleviating homelessness and poverty, and eliminating the encroacher bush’s choke on Namibia’s water supply, wildlife and grasslands.
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⌭ 📸 Mycohab
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