China has at present more than five million hectares of bamboo plantation andstill growing. In recent years bamboo has also been lauded as a source offabric. Bamboo cloth is gaining popularity in the world market, for itssoftness comparable to silk and its ability to produce fabrics that breathe.Few are aware that there are at least 1500 recorded uses of bamboo. It can beused either as food (bamboo shoot), shelter (bamboo grove or rest houses),clothing (bamboo fabric), protection (fence, windbreaker and soil erosion) andfishing materials.
Its roots are used for handicrafts such as carvings andcharcoal, the butt and lower portion of the culm are used for furniture andconstruction. Other uses include brooms made from their branches and foddersfrom their leaves. There are also industrial bamboo products such asfloorboards, panel boards, pulp and paper, textile, activated charcoal,utensils, activated charcoal and chemicals as well as beer, wine an medicines.Bamboo can be planted on lands that are idle, and that are not in use or notsuitable for food production.
Bamboo can easily fill the gap to convert lands into a more productive venture and an excellent resource of bamboo materials in the manufacture of quality products through the use of ecological friendly technologies and advocate for a widespread use of bamboo for ecological and economic purposes. Bamboo long stems, shallow roots and atalent in cleaning the air are among its best characteristics. As a hardyplant, it can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as well as pump outoxygen. Its rhizomes or roots network can help bind at least six cubic metersof soil and prevent soil erosion. It manufactures its own antibacterialcompounds and can thrive without pesticides.
In China where bamboo is revered as an indigenous plant,thousands of hectares of land are planted to reforest bald mountains. It hasalso the ability to rejuvenate degraded lands. It is also a good protection against landslide, slippage and erosion, this make it an ideal plant to address such problems. Bamboo is said to possess certain qualities that may yet help save the earth fromdestruction posed by global warming. Bamboo helps in carbon sequestration thusmitigating global warming and the conservation of biodiversity. It also produces a big amount of biomas, which conserves ground moisture and decomposes into organicmatter that enriches the soil.
One of the major causes of global warming is carbon dioxideemission into the atmosphere from factories, industrial plants, vehicles, bushor forest fires and other of either man made or natural causes. One hectare ofbamboo plantation, it is said can sequester up to twelve tons of carbon dioxideper year. The bamboo industry through reforestations not only can improved farmers livelihood but it can also improved the quality of air we breathe and prevent our environment from deterioration.
About the Author:
Arnold Cafe is the author of Ideas Galore,
To read more articles on
To promote your company, product and services via promotional article, followthis link:
Comments