TRANSFER OF TECHNOLOGY MODEL

HOMESTEAD BAMBOO PLANTATIONHOMESTEAD BAMBOO PLANTATIONHOMESTEAD BAMBOO PLANTATION

INTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR BAMBOO AND RATTANINTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR BAMBOO AND RATTANINTERNATIONAL NETWORK FOR BAMBOO AND RATTAN

Why bamboo?Why bamboo?Why bamboo?• Bamboos grow more rapidly than trees and start to yield within

three or four years of planting.

• Plantation establishment requires minimal capital investment and builds upon the inherent plant-cultivation skills of local farmers and foresters.

• Bamboos can be harvested annually and non-destructively.

• Bamboos are excellent for rejuvenating degraded lands and protecting against soil erosion.

• Bamboos may easily be intercropped with shallow-rooted crops.

• As well as the culms, all other parts of the bamboo plant can be used in rural livelihoods - shoots for food, leaves for fodder, and branches for items such as brooms and for firewood.

What is a homestead bamboo plantation?

• A homestead bamboo plantation is a plantation

owned and run by one family. Its size will be

determined by the amount of time various

family members are able to devote to it aside

from their other responsibilities.

• The homestead bamboo plantation will supply a

small number of culms and shoot annually,

either for sale as raw materials, or for family or

community-based processing activities, thereby

generating extra income.

How do I establish and run a homestead bamboo plantation?

1. Select suitable land: 2. Choose your species: 3. Prepare the land well.

Most soils are suitable. Select carefully based upon

A gently sloping site is ideal. intended end - uses.

4. Plant one year-old 5. Proper plantation management 6. Sustainable harvesting

bamboo plants in will ensure continued regular will maintain plantation

the spring. harvests every year. integrity in the long term.

Main development attributes of a homestead bamboo plantationMain development attributes of a homestead bamboo plantation

• Creates income generation for poor rural people, especially

women.

• Improves and broadens farmers plant cultivation skills base,

making them more able to handle shocks and empowering them

with new abilities.

• Increases the area of managed bamboo

resources.

• Permits rapid re-greening of denuded

and degraded lands.

• Promotes the sustainable increased use

of bamboo as a wood substitute.

• Provides raw material for downstream

processing and income generation

activities by the householder.

Some salient facts

• Simultaneous cultivation of three

or four different species, each

with specific end-uses, can

greatly increase the versatility of

the plantation.

• Most bamboos can be harvested

from approximately the

fifth year after planting,

but intercropping can be

practiced during this time.

• The plantation can supply

the individual family's

bamboo processing

activities, or broader

community processing

activities.

Photo: handmade bamboo/wood

composite baskets

Requirements for success

• Homestead with land available for bamboo cultivation

• Interest of local families in planting bamboo.

• Availability of raw materials - propagules, fertilisers, tools.

• A small amount of start-up capital

to purchase propagules and tools.

• Access to expert advice and

assistance in the early stages.

• Establishment of a supportive

community infrastructure,

especially if the family will also

be processing the bamboos.

Photo: splitting bamboo

Financial aspects of a homestead bamboo plantation*(based on data for Melocanna baccifera in Bangladesh)

ESTABLISHMENT COSTS (US $)

Planting,, fertilisers and other costs

for 400 seedlings plus 15% for

mortality

$82.80

RUNNING COSTS

yr 1 $136

yr 2 $62

yr 3 $76

yr 4 $91

yr 5 $159

yr 6 + $13

* all figures per hectare

RETURNS - from year 5 onwards

Sale of culms Profit

yr 5 $133 $93 neg

yr 6 $160 $106

yr 7 $187 $132

yr 8 $213 $159

yr 9 $240 $186

yr 10+ $280 $267

RETURN ABOVE

VARIABLE COSTS 18%

For further informationFor further information

See

TOTEMs

Medium and large scale bamboo plantations.

Bamboo shoot plantation.

Community bamboo nursery.

Websites

INBAR: www.inbar.int

Publications

A manual for vegetative propagation of

bamboos. INBAR technical report no 6.

Text file available at:

http://www.inbar.int/publication/txt/

INBAR_Technical_Report_No06.htm

Contact

• INBAR, Beijing 100101-80, China

• Bangladesh Forest Research

Institute, Chittagong, Bangladesh.

Photo: Extracting a culm for propagation