BAMBOO TREE PLANTING TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE

 

Bamboo is a wonder plant by all accounts. Its many uses include erosion control, watershed protection, soil remediation, and environmental greening. It is also the fastest growing timber plant on earth, with many applications as a wood substitute. It is this plant, which forms the central feature of the world), a project that aims to tap the social and ecological potential of the world through a five-year program involving the following activities:

• Establishment of a bamboo nursery with a diverse collection of species.
• Field planting of bamboo in selected areas.
• The implementation of a Training Program for the local community (including the cultivation, maintenance, harvesting and utilisation of bamboo).
• The development of a community-based business for ornamental plants, bamboo handicrafts and housing.

The project needs a three-acre parcel for the nursery and initial infrastructure. 'Bambustique' will carry out the implementation of the action plan, a registered foundation with homeowners as board members. They try to raise basic funds for the first 5-year program - including the nursery, a model bamboo house, a preservation facility, training courses, and workshops.

Increased awareness of bamboo's immense potential will create livelihood opportunities and contribute to the well-being and quality of life. In addition, the cultivation and use of bamboo as a timber substitute will reduce the pressure on hardwood forests.

About Bamboo

Traditionally thought of as the poor man's timber, bamboo has in recent years emerged as a much sought after timber for industrial applications and environmental enhancement. Bamboo is the fastest growing timber plant on earth. It is a multipurpose plant with numerous uses. In particular bamboo is useful for combating erosion and for rapidly greening barren land areas.

The tree can combat soil erosion in rivers and mountains to help reduce run offs and floods on slops of mount Rwenzori kasese Uganda 

Key Features of Bamboo

• Bamboos grow more rapidly than trees and start to yield within four to five years of planting.
• Bamboos can be selectively harvested annually and non-destructively.
• The establishment of a bamboo plantation requires a minimal capital investment and builds upon the inherent plant-cultivation skills of local farmers and foresters.
• Bamboos are excellent for restoring degraded lands and protecting against soil erosion.
• Bamboos may easily be intercropped with vegetables.
• The whole bamboo plant is beneficial for rural livelihood. The poles (technically referredto as 'culms') are useful as a construction material; the young shoots are edible; the leaves make good animal fodder; and branches are useful for making handicrafts.

Executive Summary

This proposal involves establishing a community based bamboo program, with a nursery and pilot project to be set up.

The aim of the project is to promote bamboo cultivation and develop community based bamboo industries that are sustainable and which will provide a means of income generation for local people.

The project will be developed over a period of 5 years in the following stages:

1. Local Nursery: Establishment of a nursery with a diverse collection of bamboo species, including a model house and preservation plant.
2. Pilot Plantation: Establishment of bamboo stands in selected areas (including marginal lands and eroded areas.)
3. Training Program for the local community (including bamboo cultivation, maintenance, harvesting and utilization)

4. Development of a community based business for bamboo housing and construction. 

activities

The main activities involved in establishing the pilot plantation are:

• Land selection
• Selection of suitable species
• Land clearing and preparation
• Planting and applying fertilizers
• Maintenance and harvesting

REQUEST 

50000 EUROS