Bamboo farming gives Kuria residents a new lease of life

By Nick Oluoch

It may be one of the poorest constituencies, with two thirds of the population living below the poverty line, but the economy of the Kuria community is set to change thanks to bamboo farming.

The crop, which was introduced three years ago, is cultivated in all parts of the constituency with over 200 farmers.

Jacob Kibwage, a senior lecturer at Maseno University’s School of Environment Studies, leading a team popularising the crop, says some are already reaping the benefits.

Kuria residents with some finished bamboo products. [PHOTO: NICK OLUOCH/STANDARD].

"Bamboo has over 10 uses, he said during a recent research workshop to market the crop.

Bamboo uses include roofing and making furniture. It can also be used to make compost manure as it easily decomposes.

"A man can sit in a bamboo house under a bamboo roof, on a bamboo chair at a bamboo table, with a bamboo hat on his head and bamboo sandals on his feet," says Dr Kibwage, adding that he can at the same time use bamboo chopsticks.

Major cash crop

Kibwage, who is working alongside a team of researchers from the university, says the plant can be a major cash crop in southern Nyanza within the next ten years.

The team says bamboo farming is one of the effective ways of restoring the lost soil fertility and also bringing back rivers and forests that have disappeared.

There are four bamboo trial sites in South Nyanza. Target areas include Kuria, Homa Bay, Migori and Suba. Over 200 tobacco farmers are taking part in the trials and Kibwage say so far the progress is good.

"Ninety-five per cent of the bamboo survived at the trial centres with high productivity," he explains.

And a visit to one of the trial centres shows the farmer’s enthusiasm about the crop.

Mwita Matiko, one of the farmers in Kuria, says proceeds from the plant were already enough for him to live on, despite having cultivated the crop for a short period.

"We are grateful to Maseno University for giving us a choice and it is working well for us," he says.

During a recent field day in the region, the area’s Member of Parliament Wilfred Machage bought a bamboo dining set for Sh12,000.

And Matiko says they are getting more and more orders.

Cut a niche

"Our products have ready cut out a niche in the market," he says, adding that their equipment’s durability, beauty and affordability had made them popular with customers.

While a farmer currently makes between Sh10,000-Sh15,000 per acre of tobacco, the main crop in the region at the moment, bamboo farmers gets between Sh55,000- Sh90,000 on a similar acreage.

The researcher says this is the main reason most farmers prefer it to other crops.

He also says introduction of the crop in the area has provided employment to the youth, who have learnt to make handcrafts.

The initiative is targeting 15,000 tobacco farmers in the area with plans to eventually roll it out to other parts of the country.