There is a paucity of information about the commercial production of edible
mushrooms in Latin America. During the period 1995-2001, estimated production
increased 32% in this region, from 49,975 to 65,951 tonnes/year. Its total economic
value reached more than 167 million dollars per year, and about 34 thousand people
work for this activity. Leading countries are Mexico (58.6%), Chile (17.6%), and Brazil
(10.6%) accounting for 86.8% of total mushroom production. The mushroom
consumption per capita in Latin America is low (ca. 125 g/year). The rural household
system model (RHS) has been developed for assessing the significance and fundamental
trends of rural mushroom cultivation. Despite this remarkable development in recent
years and the Latin American mega-biodiversity, the recovery and conservation of
native germplasm from edible mushrooms have only been undertaken by several
research collections. Future challenges of research and development are outlined
considering the main mushroom activities being carried out in the region. Those
countries, in which mushroom cultivation is not yet well established, will find difficulty
to cope with the new competitive circumstances generated by globalisation