Bamboo - a lot more

Bamboo in Africa

Africa has the largest untapped tropical bamboo forests: 1.5 – 3 million ha. Other reports indicate that the new economic force of ‘Bamboos’ on the continent is generating massive income, creating jobs and protecting the environment.

The following is gleaned from many sources, the main one being here: So far 18 African countries with natural bamboo have joined the International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR), which is assisting them with bamboo information, technology transfer, capacity building and policy formulation. According to INBAR, as the population in Africa increases, the massive harvesting of firewood and charcoal will be unsustainable. Bamboo is an alternative to burning tree-based woods for cooking purposes. As bamboo can quickly grow back, bamboo will combat deforestation, soil erosion and impacts of climate change. However, Energy use and development in Africa varies widely across the

On the other hand, The World Bank has declared 32 of the 48 nations on the African continent to be in an energy crisis. This translates to Bamboo’s potential as an energy source in Africa being large.

Is it all great then? Well, Bamboo is a ‘thirsty’ thing. Excessive amounts of bamboo forest will impact on the ground water and the water table in the region. If the water table gets lowered, other plants might suffer (wheat, potatoes, etc). We have to balance the needs with the available water resources.

On the economic specfarming has the posands of jobs, since Bamboo plants maintained and In Ghana, about employed when project was

The bamboo some $60 bn down-stream industhis number. trum, commercial bamboo tential to create thouit is labour intensive. are typically planted, harvested by hand. 1,500 people were a commercial initiated.

industry is worth globally but the try should be added to

However, the role of technology in commercial bamboo is not well documented. Little information on the potential of this aspect in the commercial setting may make this statement temporal and likely to change as time moves on.

Although bamboo can grow nearly anywhere, areas in the likes of KZN would be prime areas. However, that is where we also see sugar cane growing. And sugar cane is just as thirsty.

Can a balance be achieved?

The Facts

Who is INBAR? The International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR) was founded in 1997 as an intergovernmental organisation, with a mission to “improve the wellbeing of producers and users of bamboo and rattan [..]. Currently, INBAR works within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, promoting the use of bamboo for goals including poverty alleviation, environmental protection and climate change mitigation. INBAR is a multilateral development organisation of 47 Member States for the promotion of bamboo and rattan. As expected, all East Asia countries are members. However, the majority of members are now from Africa. Even Canada (yes!) is a member. Sugar CaneSugar cane is also a grass! or SA produces some 20 million tons of sugar per year. 75% is exported and brings in revenue. SA is one of the top producers and exporters and the cane industry employs thousands of people.

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