Bamboo: Is this the next big thing in farming?

There has been a lot of interest in bamboo farming on social media platforms and other farming circles.

The interest makes me wonder: is growing bamboo the next big thing in farming? So today I will address all things bamboo.

Philip Karoki ,a worker in bamboo farm at Gathehu Village in Nyeri County, inspect bamboo sticks, on 5 May 2015. Bamboo has plenty of uses. It is used in construction, makes charcoal, pulp, boards, furniture, , utensils, matchsticks, toothpicks and crafts and has high resistance and insulation qualities.PHOTO KIBATA KIHU/STANDARD

Bamboo a “wonder plant” that is inimitably blessed. Agronomists believe it can restore degraded landscapes while economists think it is a potential “green gold,” and a silver bullet for design and architecture that is already attracting a global market.

There’s not much bamboo can’t do. It can put food on your table, paper in your printer, a floor under your feet, furniture in your house and a fence around your yard.

A fast-growing, woody grass, bamboo is one of the highly versatile giant grass that can grow in almost any kind of climate and thrive in the poorest of soils.

Bamboo has been in existence for hundreds of years in Asia, Latin America and parts of Africa.

Yet for long, the potential of this fastest-growing plant on earth, remains largely unexploited. It does not require any fertilisers or pesticides because it has no real threat from diseases or pests. Once it is planted, you can leave it on its own.

Bamboo is used to make a long list of high-value products.

Commercially, it is used for furniture and a variety of building and roofing materials -- from fencing poles to veneer, floor tiles, panels for walls and ceilings, scaffolding material, door and window frames and window blinds.

In the paper and pulp industry, bamboo can be made into newsprint, toilet paper and cardboard, which would help conserve Kenya’s finite resources, such as its forests.

Domestically, bamboo is used to make mats, baskets, canoes, fishing kits, fences, toothpicks, school desks, pencils and rulers.

It is also a source of bio-energy.

Many households in Kenya use fuelwood or charcoal made from timber, often leading to deforestation, land degradation and indoor pollution. As the population increases, the massive harvesting of firewood and charcoal will be unsustainable.

Bamboo provides a clean and renewable energy alternative in the form of charcoal briquettes and wood for domestic and industrial use.

On protecting the environment, I swear the bamboo plant is “magic” in mitigating the effects of climate change through rapid reforestation, slowing soil erosion and repairing damaged ecosystems.

Bamboo also serves as an excellent large-scale carbon sink, each plant taking in almost double the carbon dioxide of a tree.

Commercial bamboo farmers may also benefit from acquiring carbon credits.

Maturity

A bamboo plant matures in four to eight years, depending on the species; however, it can be harvested as a perennial crop, without deforestation, three to five years after initial planting. It can be sustainably harvested for well over 40 years.

USE LITTLE WATER

Once it starts growing, bamboo remains rooted in the soil, producing new shoots each year. This helps secure the soil and maintain slope stability.

Unlike forests, where everyone says, ‘Don’t cut that tree,’ bamboo grows back fast when you cut it.

The more you cut, the more it grows.

The surest bamboo business is a nursery. Bamboo nurseries sell largely to suburban and urban dwellers who want privacy from neighbours or passers-by. Bamboo makes an excellent hedge because it’s narrow, beautiful, evergreen and, if bought in small place-in-your-vehicle pots, grows to desired height within three years — then stops.

Dealing in bamboo starter plants has its advantages. Every shoot that comes up and leafs out can be potted and sold — and for significantly more than it would fetch as a vegetable.

Consequently, bamboo nursery owners can often make a decent living on remarkably little land.

Commercial bamboo farming has the potential to create thousands of jobs, since it is labour intensive.

Bamboo plants are typically planted, maintained and harvested by hand.

Bamboo can be a strong pillar of Kenya’s future green economy.

It can help reduce poverty and protect the environment, and that it provides a practical and rapid solution for some of the natural resource and poverty challenges facing many African countries today.

It’s important to note that, growing bamboo is not a get-rich-quick scheme. You certainly won’t make millions overnight. But with some smart choices and hard work, you really can make a nice income.

As with any business, it’s recommended you start small. Don’t try to grow too many varieties of bamboo at first, and let your business grow naturally.

—The writer is an expert on agricultural solutions and sustainable agricuture