BAMBOO

A rural development and climate change mitigation crop for Malawi

Table of Contents
Bamboo and wood carbon .......................................................................................... 2
Environmental benefits ................................................................................................ 3
Malawi Current Analysis and Assumptions .............................................................. 4
Why Plant Bamboo ...................................................................................................... 5
Bamboo Species and Cultivation ............................................................................... 6
Motivations for Planting Bamboo in Rural Homesteads ........................................ 9
Motivations for Planting Commercial Bamboo Plantations.................................. 11
Interesting Bamboo Facts ......................................................................................... 14
About Us ...................................................................................................................... 15

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Bamboo and wood carbon

Bamboo is the worlds fastest and strongest growing woody plant, with giant species
exceeding growth rates of 1m a day. Unlike trees, all bamboo species grow to their
full height and girth in a single growing season of three to four months. Bamboo
culms (stems) typically take 3 years to mature and begin to decay after 5 years.
This means that when plants come into full production (4 to 5 years), 30% of the
standing culms can be continually harvested each year for the full duration of the
plants life, 40 to 120 years depending on species. This is a significant improvement
over timber harvesting cycles of 8-15 years. Growing faster than eucalyptus, the
plant is increasingly used as a replacement for both hard and soft woods. In India
commercial bamboo provides 60% of the country's paper requirement. The poles, or
culms, are so strong that they are used to make bicycle frames, in South Asia they
are used to reinforce concrete and as scaffolding on skyscrapers. Products range
from furniture, woven screens, surfboards, laminated flooring, wool fibre, composite
boards and roof sheeting. Each year, two million tones of edible, vitamin-rich
bamboo shoots are consumed. Global trade is estimated to exceed 2 billion USD per
annum.
Bamboo is one of the best sources for making charcoal; it burns very well and has
an exceptionally high calorific content, yielding more than 7000 kilocalories per
kilogram.
Bamboo has several advantages over tree species in terms of sustainability and
carbon fixing capacity. Available studies conclude that bamboo biomass and carbon
production is higher compared to the fast growing wood species and producing 35%
more oxygen than wood. Tropical species measure an annual biomass of

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47.8t/ha/pa almost twice that of the Eucalyptus clones. The total biomass of mature
bamboo at 6 years is higher than that of teak at 40 years: 149 t C/ha versus only 126
t C/ha for teak. Besides higher biomass, bamboo has other advantages over wood
as a carbon stock. Unlike woody crops bamboo offers the possibility of annual
selective harvesting; with the removal of only 30% of the total stock no clear cut
felling is necessary. This has significant environmental advantages and improves
stock productivity. Furthermore over 90% of bamboo carbon can be sequestered in
durable products such as boards, panels, floors, furniture, buildings, cloth, paper and
activated charcoal. These products have a very long life span and may retain carbon
for several decades.

Environmental benefits
Bamboo rhizomes and dense root systems that anchor topsoil along steep slopes
and riverbanks, very effectively controlling erosion, their rapid growth enables
bamboo to absorb surplus nitrogen, phosphorous and heavy metals found in sewage
and polluted water, locking them in the plant alleviating downstream pollution.

Bamboo is already being used to filter wastewater from the United Nations complex
in Nairobi Kenya, Municipal authorities in the capitals of Kenya, Uganda and
Ethiopia, are joining discussions on how to incorporate bamboo into their urban
planning; environmentally to clean up the wastewater in informal settlements and to
provide sustainable fuel to their residents.

Studies have also shown that natural bamboo forests have excellent hydrological
functions that promote soil health. Their lofty thick canopy of fine leaves serve as
gills which harvest and conserve moisture, together with the abundance of leaves,
sheaths and old culms that die and fall to the ground. The moisture rich mulch
rapidly decomposes into a humus layer enriching the soil and reducing evaporative
moisture loss and enhancing fungal microbial diversity.

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Malawi Current Analysis and Assumptions

Malawi is ranked amongst the worlds 10 poorest countries.

General Information: - GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR CLEAN COOKSTOVES

Population Size
GDP per capital (USD)
Income per day (USD)
Urban Population
Rural Population:
Average Household size

15,906,483
$268.05
$0.73
16%
84%
4

Population using solid fuels for cooking

Population using wood for cooking

Estimated urban households

Estimated rural households

636,259
3,340,361

Estimated total households in Malawi

3,976,621

Eucalyptus grandis is used as the bench mark for comparative calculations

Annual sustainable yield of commercial wood

97%
91.40%

680

kg/m

391,000

Tons/Year

575,000

m/Year

Estimated urban demand for cooking wood

Estimated rural demand for cooking wood

1,161,173
6,096,160

Tons/Year
Tons/Year

1,707,608
8,964,941

m/Year
m/Year

Estimated Total demand for cooking wood

7,257,333

Tons/Year

10,672,548

m/Year

Deficit required to meet demand

Required increase in timber production

6,866,333
1856%

Tons/Year

10,672,548

m/Year

With an estimated daily use of wood for cooking per household to be 5kg/day, this
equates to a demand 7,257,333 metric tons per annum or 10,672,548 m3 of timber.
The total annual sustainable yield from all industrial plantations is estimated at
575,000 m3, available over the next two decades. This requires 1856% increase in
yield to meet the current demand, a mammoth challenge. The problem is further
compounded by the fact that the bulk of the current commercial timber production is
for value added products such as furniture, plywood, block boards and matches. The
remainder of the volume is being collected for domestic firewood purposes. The
formal processing sector requires an annual log intake of 120 000 m3. Conversion
efficiency is about 50%.
The vast deficit means that the balance of the timber for domestic firewood is being
sourced from the diminishing natural forests, escalating level of deforestation from
increasing demands for timber and fuel wood. The resulting environmental, social,
and economic impacts require urgent attention.

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Deforestation is increasing exponentially each year. Analysis shows, Malawi lost

2.43 million hectares of forest between 1972 and 2005, representing a decline of
54% in forest cover. The declining enforcement ability by government agencies to
protect forests, there is common encroachment into parks and reserves for the illegal
production of charcoal. Annual consumption of charcoal in Malawi is estimated at
well over 300,000 tons. With a wood to charcoal conversion efficiency of 6.2 to 1,
the wood to meet urban demands for charcoal is 2 million tons or about 30% of the
total sustainable supply.
Taken as a whole, the impacts of deforestation on climate change and hydrological
regimes are well documented.

Among the results are diminished stream flows,

increased risks of flooding, and the siltation of rivers, dams, and lakes. The integrity
and biodiversity of water catchments is now threatened with far-reaching effects on
water supplies, agriculture, fisheries, industry, trade, and health. To maintain present
forest levels and to keep pace with timber demands, an estimated 160 million trees
need to be planted annually. Currently, there are only about 60 million trees planted
with an average survival rate of 60%, this means the forests are steadily
disappearing. The pending social, environmental, and economic consequences are
dire.

Why Plant Bamboo

Malawi faces extreme fuel and energy challenges, both for domestic consumption
and commercial/industrial applications (specifically vulnerable are the export
oriented tea and tobacco industries).
Energy Sources:

Wood and charcoal are in high demand with diminishing supply Locally
available

Coal is not environmentally desirable or sustainable - Locally available

Electricity is imported and supply is irregular

Fuel and gas is imported and USD priced

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Given the severity of the pending wood and timber shortage coupled with escalating
energy prices, we feel that bamboo offers sustainable alternatives to meet some of
the needs of both domestic and commercial/industrial demand. While there are
several initiatives to replant and preserve timber plantations, currently none are
planting bamboo. Giant bamboo has similar characteristics to timber but has several
distinct and unique properties.
o

Bamboo has equivalent hardness of slower growing hardwoods

Bamboo has superior long fibre to timber

Bamboo has superior tensile strength then timber

Bamboo has superior elasticity

Bamboo has superior combustion results the Eucalyptus

The capital requirements for the processing equipment of bamboo is

less

Bamboo Species and Cultivation

Bamboo can be propagated in several different ways: Seed, this is unreliable as most giant tropical species only produce seed
intermittently and only prolifically before dying at 40 to 120 years of age.
Storing seed is not feasible as it only remains viable for short periods,
typically 6 months.
Vegetative cuttings, do not take root easily with high mortality rates
Division, this is feasible but requires a large stock of mother material and the
labour costs of splitting large stands is prohibitive.
Tissue culture has been demonstrated to be the most cost effective way of
producing virile clones from healthy plants with superior traits.

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The Importance of Mother Plant Selection

TC (and Vegetative propagation in general)

offers the possibility of selecting plants with
desired traits
This results in reduced variance of traits
compared to sexually propagated plants (e.g.
bamboo seedlings from natural forests)
Cloning of selected elite plants results in a
genetic gain which may be expressed in larger or
more productive plants and overall increased
yield in plantations.

AfriBam has invested a large amount of time and resources into identifying both
varieties that are best suited to cultivate, under what conditions; also identifying
which varieties can best exploit the commercial opportunities available. Bamboo
need not be grown exclusively as a cash or timber crop, it can be considered for
providing supplementary dual purpose and utility functions, like security or stockproof hedges, windbreaks, water filtration and soil stabilization. While performing
these functions it can provide farmers with:

Numerous cultivars to meet utility requirements, weather and soil conditions

Fast growing and sustainable harvesting, when mature after 4 to 5 years, 30%
of the culms can be harvested annually

Lightweight strong and flexible (bamboo has the tensile strength of steel)

Low barrier to entry, bamboo can be harvested, extracted and processed by

hand

Giant clumping species are not invasive and are low maintenance

Excellent windbreak

Effective barrier for livestock

Dual purpose solutions, culms can be harvested for: o

cooking fuel and charcoal production

crop supports for tobacco, bananas, tomatoes, beans, etc

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building and construction materials

utility materials for craft, furniture and implements

edible shoots (high in fibre)

Good soil retention reducing erosion, their fine shallow and densely knitted root
mass acts like a sponge absorbing runoff water and binding the soil

Excellent water efficiency their shallow roots (60cm) means bamboo does not
impact the lower water table

High intercropping potential, clumping bamboo species have localised roots

that do not spread and compete with other crops

The waste material like branches and leaves can be used as compost or
animal feed for goats and cattle

Scaffolding and ladders, reinforcing in concrete for lintels and water tanks.

While Bamboo has been cultivated and utilised in places like China and India
for hundreds if not thousands of years, its commercial potential is only recently
being appreciated. It has high potential for downstream processing and job
creation, in recent years numerous developments in R&D and processing
techniques has given rise to a range of high end bamboo products.
o

Laminated bamboo for structural beams, flooring and furniture panels

Bamboo fibre for textile and new light weight composite materials for
the auto and aerospace industries

Supplements for food nutrition (high in fibre) and the cosmetic (high in
silica) industries

Medical and pharmaceutical applications

Biomass for gasification and power generation

High fibre pulp for paper and carton manufacture (60% of Indias paper
comes from bamboo)

The production of granular activated carbon, GAC is used in gas

purification, decaffeination, gold purification, metal extraction, water
purification, medicine, sewage treatment, air filters in gas masks and
respirators, filters in compressed air and many other applications.

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Links to reference material:

Presentations made at the 9th World Bamboo Congress WBO 2012 - Belgium
Bamboo Biomass - Power Plant in Indonesia
Combustion and Co-combustion Characteristics of Thermal-Treated & Raw Bamboo

Motivations for Planting Bamboo in Rural

Homesteads

The yield of bamboo varies according to species as well as local conditions like
climate and soil type. Our experience has lead us to anticipate yields from selected
spices of 3.5 new culms per annum, with an average dry weight of 30kg each, when
mature (3 years old). This will enable the continual satiable harvesting of 3 to 4
culms per stand of bamboo every year for the duration of the life of the plant,
typically between 40 and 120 years depending on the species.

New Culms/Stand

3.5

p.a.

Culm dry weight

30

kg

Current estimated daily wood used

5kg

/household

MK

USD

Current firewood market price /kg

60

0.14

Daily expenditure on wood

300

0.71

Bamboo Fuel Efficiency is potentially less than 0.5kg to cook for an hour
Using Bamboo & Cleaner Cooking Technology
Household fuel requirement is less than

1.5

Kg/day

Estimated saving over current requirements

70%

Annualised household fuel requirement

547.5 Kg/pa

Plants required per rural household

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To achieve sustainable fuel wood production in rural areas:

Bamboo can be planted around the perimeter of the property

Bamboo grows well on shallow soils and can be planted on marginal

unproductive areas

Intercropping bamboo is an option, it can be used as windbreaks and hedging

plants to protect cash crops from livestock

It can be planted on unutilized land as a plantation at a density of 313 plats

per hectare

Under optimal soil and climate conditions, a bamboo plantation will yield over 30
tons/ha annually. I.e. 1 ha can yield enough wood fuel for the annual fuel
requirements of approximately 55 households.
If we look at the current daily estimated household expenditure on wood fuel for
cooking, it equates roughly to the daily national average income. If rural households
can grow their own fuel to cook; it would not only provide significant relief to the
remaining forest resources but vastly improve households disposable income with
significant socio economic benefits. For an investment of the equivalent of 15
days average income, a rural household could become fuel self sufficient.
Benefits and advantages include

Improved disposable income

The number of plants required is small enough to allow them to be watered

with grey water from washing (only necessary for the first year).

Bamboo can be manually harvested and processed

Bamboo has multiple purpose utility and dietary opportunities

Foraging for wood will no longer be necessary; children especially girls will be
able to complete their education

Combining cleaner cooking technology reduces the fuel required to cook and
reduces household air pollution HAP, with significant improvements to health

Bamboo creates a new ladder of economic opportunity

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While AfriBams commercial focus is the supply of plants and services to;
commercial farmers, agro-processing and forestry sectors. Our corporate social
responsibility program is focused towards subsistence, rural farming communities.
AfriBam is engaging with NGO organizations to explore ways to introduce and
educate rural communities about the benefits of bamboo. We can supply a variety of
utility specific species, training and skills transfer workshops to NGOs who promote
bamboo as a tool for rural development.

AfriBams focus is the promotion of bamboo and related technology

in Africa. Bamboos strength lies in its ability to empower the
development of others. As a utility crop bamboo has the highest potential
to deliver a sustainable balance between habitat and community.

Motivations for Planting Commercial Bamboo

Plantations
Non invasive tropical bamboo species have some distinct advantages over
traditional timber both from a utility perspective as well as in their cultivation. We
recommend planting giant bamboo in rows 8m apart, with 4m spacing in the rows.
This amounts to approximately 313 plants per hectare. When mature we estimate an
annual yield of 3 to 4 culms per stand, with an average dry weight of 30kg each. This
equates to more then 30 tons per hectare per annum, as indicated below.

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Giant Clumping, Tropical Bamboo

Planting
Meters
Row Spacing
8
Spacing in Rows
4
Plants/ha
Annual Yield
Culms/stand
Culms/ha
Culm dry weight
Tons/ha

3.5
1,093.8
30
32.81

Per ha
12.5
25.0
313

kg

Plantation Costs of Bamboo vs Eucalyptus

Planting costs, Eucalyptus 1,667 plants / ha while bamboo 313 plants / ha

Weeding and maintenance - bamboo only for one year, Eucalyptus 18 to 24

months.

Coppice (re-harvestable growth from the stump or roots) Eucalyptus, this is

generally only done twice at 8 years, i.e. the life of the plantation is 24 years.
Then the expense of replanting is incurred together with the cost of
destumping or use of herbicide. Giant Bamboo continues to regenerate new
shoots throughout its life 60 to 120 years.

Cash flow cycles - Eucalyptus 8 year cycles, once mature with bamboo cash
flow is generated annually

Timber and Eucalyptus is clear cut with significant impacts on: o

The habitat destruction of wildlife and flora is catastrophic

Erosion is a significant factor and risk

Mycorrhizae and microbial the health of the soil is devastated

Aesthetically the impact is profound

With bamboo only 30% of the culms are harvested leaving the canopy and
environmental integrity intact.

Extraction Costs, while Eucalyptus is denser it means mechanical extraction

is imperative, on steep terrain this is challenging. With bamboo a combination
of both mechanical and manual labour can be employed to optimise
extraction

in

challenging

environments

and

creates

additional

job

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opportunities. If splitting and chipping is done at the extraction point the lower
density of bamboo can be mitigated.

Bamboo is more easily harvested and processed manually; this makes it a

lower barrier to entry crop that can be cultivated by rural farmers and
homesteads.

Water uptake and efficiency: o

Eucalyptus roots can descend to 30m, large trees can suck up over
700L of water a day

Bamboos root depth is limited to 60cm and its water efficiency is

superior to Eucalyptus

Under optimal soil and climate bamboo yields more than 30 tons per ha,
comparable if not superior to Eucalyptus.

Product, while the market for bamboo products is new, they are recognised
as being "greener" and more sustainable
Lets assume the bamboo plantation lasts only 60 and not 120 years: Summary Comparative Table: Plantation & Establishment Costs
Per Ha Costs
Bamboo Higher
Plant Bag Cost
1
x
Planting
1
x
Maintenance
1
x
Over 60 years (all of the above, compounded)
1
x

Eucalyptus
1.31
5.33
5.33
2.5

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Interesting Bamboo Facts

Bamboo is a type of grass and is the fastest growing woody plant on the
planet, it grows to its full height and girth in only 3 to 4 months and can
exceed 120cm in a 24 hour period.

Bamboo is a crucial element in the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in

the atmosphere. A grove of bamboo release 35% more oxygen than an
equivalent stand of trees. Because of this, planting bamboo is a great way to
reduce your carbon footprint and help fight global warming.

Bamboo is a viable replacement for wood. It can be harvest in 3-5 years

versus 10-20 for most softwoods. It can out yield pine 6 to 1 in biomass
production. It is also one of the strongest building materials with a tensile
strength of 28,000 psi the equivalent of mild steel.

When dry bamboo is incredibly light making it easy to handle by hand.

It is a great soil conservation tool. It greatly reduces erosion with a sum of

stem flow rate and canopy intercept of 25%. This dramatically reduces rain
run-off, preventing massive soil erosion and making it very earth friendly.

Bamboo can be eaten (new shoots), made into fibre for clothing, it can be
used in concrete reinforcement, in can provide great livestock feed with the
foliage being up to 22% protein, it can be machined into numerous forms of
lumber, etc. It might be easier to compile a list of what bamboo cannot be
used for than what it is used for.

Bamboo can also tolerate extreme conditions that most plants cannot. It was
actually the first plant to re-green after the atomic blast in Hiroshima in 1945.

The quality of soil is improved and soil erosion is prevented by bamboos root
system. This helps retain more water in the land without it draining into the
river or lake. Bamboo plants reduce runoff and prevent water pollution
through its high nitrogen consumption.

Ethanol and liquid diesel can be produced using bamboo as the raw material.
Diesel has been produced in South America since 1947

Bamboo, when used as fire wood, produces more btu per weight than
hardwood and makes less ash.

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Bamboo charcoal will maintain a constant heat longer than hardwood

charcoal.

Bamboo can produce 2 to 6 times as much cellulose per acre as pine. Pine or
mixed forests increase 2 to 5 percent per year in biomass. Groves of bamboo
increase 10 to 30 percent each year.

The Bamboo can be found in a number of locations including: Africa, Asia,

Australia, China, Himalayas, Indian subcontinent, Madagascar, North
America, Russia and South America.

Easily grown Pesticide and Fertilizer Free Bamboo not only resists bacteria
and fungi, but also pests! This makes it one of the only cash crops that can
grow and flourish without the use of any pesticides or fertilizers whatsoever.
Thats clean living for your health, your skin and your environment!

Provides Safe Housing: Over 1 billion people in the world live in BAMBOO
HOUSES. Bamboo buildings have proven to be exceedingly earthquake
proof.

Sustainable Harvested & Annually Renewable: Mature bamboos produce

new shoots and canes each year, which can be harvested individually without
destroying the plant.

There is no clear-cut felling; there is no environmental degradation as seen

with traditional timber harvesting.

Clumping Bamboo, seeds sporadically, are non-invasive and can live up to

140 years

About Us

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In 2012 we established an evaluation plot outside Lilongwe to conduct trials of

various bamboo species.
At the end of 2013 we planted 30ha of bamboo on a 256ha timber estate 30 minutes
outside of Lilongwe; the initial 30ha was completed by March 2014. The plantation
will also be used to produce domestic fuel wood, showcase bamboo to potential
customers and provide training and educational workshops.
We have a wholesale nursery situated in Lilongwe next to our trial plot. We can
supply both plants, consulting and plantation establishment services.

For further information on Bamboo and its cultivation, please refer to our
document: - Afribam, Bamboo - An illustrated guide to planting bamboo and its
maintenance
Please feel free to visit our website www.afribam.com or contact Grant Blumrick via
email on grant@afribam.com or Cell: +265 99 9 964 337

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