Bamboo wood making ripples in Kenya

Bamboo wood by Mwangi Mumero

With a growth rate three times faster than most trees like eucalyptus, the giant bamboo is promising to become a reliable alternative wood source in East Africa.

In India , an estimated 8 million hectares of bamboo are planted and provides 60 per cent of the country’s massive paper requirement and much of the sub-continent’s timber.

It is this huge potential that has led the Nairobi-based International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF), in collaboration with local organizations, to initiate a project of introducing the giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus) to East Africa.

With its strong timber, the giant bamboo has been used in Asia to reinforce concrete and for scaffolding on skyscrapers. A square metre of the bamboo flooring sells as much as $ 100.

In Kenya, its rapid growth and high wood yield has been hailed as a potential supply of such industries as the Pan Paper Mills- the main producer of paper in the region.

At household level, research has established that the grass-tree is a valuable source of fuel wood and charcoal. It has been known to yield more than 7000 kilocalories fuel per kilogram of wood which is just half the yield of an equivalent amount of petroleum.

Already, ICRAF in collaboration with local authorities, Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) and the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) have introduced more than 800 giant bamboo seedlings in the region.

The project has currently been centred around Lake Victoria, a region where the forest cover has been on the decline with harmful effects to the vital regional lake. Lake Victoria is the source of the Nile while at the same time promotes regional trade in East Africa and the Great Lakes region.

Over 20 other species of the bamboo are also being tested for further propagation and distribution in the region.

But the benefits of the giant bamboo go beyond wood. The edible bamboo shoot is rich in vitamins and also has carbohydrates, fats and proteins. It is consumed in large quantities all over Asia.

The bamboo’s rhizomatous roots are reported to anchor soil in steep slopes and river banks leading to effective soil erosion control.

Studies in South East Asia and Kenya have also shown that the tree has a hydrological function that promotes soil health.

The tree also absorbs over 12 tonnes of atmospheric carbon dioxide per hectare-an important asset in controlling high levels of the gas and the consequent global warming.

The giant bamboo is also good at soaking up heavy metals from domestic and industrial wastes- and an important cleansing agent especially in heavily polluted sites. (ends)