Bamboo Farming

[lwptoc]

In this blog, let’s talk about Bamboo Farming.

The bamboos belong to the  grasses family and  are  the fastest-growing plants in the world and there are over 10,000 species of bamboo.

Bamboo Farming : Growing of bamboo

Bamboo can  grow in any landscape including those that are considered degraded.  It can grow in sandy, stony and sometimes water logged areas. In our farm we  grow  both green bamboos (Dendrocalamus asper)  and Yellow Bamboos (  Bambusa Vulgaris). Bamboo matures in about 3-5 years. Growing bamboo does not require fertilizers or pesticides as bamboo is resistant to  diseases.

Demand for bamboo

There are many products on the market that are made out of bamboos giving  some indication of the potential demand for  products made from bamboo. Commercialization of bamboo in Uganda   is expected  to generate income  for the farmers and also  create job opportunities for the rural community in addition of protecting the environment. Uganda has  joined an International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) that helps members   with bamboo information, technology transfer, capacity building and policy formulation.

Uses of bamboo

The known uses of bamboo include the following among others;

• Building materials;
• Making furniture;
• Fencing poles;
• Make clothes and paper;
• Making food utensils
• Firewood;
• Food for people and animals and
• Herbal medicine.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), bamboo plant has over 2,000 different uses and  China reckons there are nearly 10,000.

Challenges

We face the following  challenges in the growing of bamboo;

• Lack seedlings for planting;
• Raising capital for growing of bamboo is a challenge;
• The government has not yet fully intensified its efforts in commercializing  bamboo in Uganda;
• There is limited research knowledge  on bamboo in Uganda;
• Lack  of community awareness of the uses of bamboo and
• The bamboo national policy is not yet in place