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 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 information See TOTEMs Medium and large scale bamboo plantations. Bamboo shoot plantation. Community bamboo nursery. Websites INBAR: Publications A manual for vegetative propagation of bamboos. INBAR technical report no 6. Text file available at: INBAR_Technical_Report_No06.htm Contact INBAR, Beijing , China Bangladesh Forest Research Institute, Chittagong, Bangladesh. Photo: Extracting a culm for propagation