Alternative materials for wood for the handicrafts, furniture and construction industries are very much in demand. One of such materials is bamboo.
The high demand for bamboo is brought about by the scarcity of wood due to the depletion of timber resources, and the strict implementation of Executive Order 23 that bans logging in natural forest.
However, the growing interest in bamboo as wood alternative can lead to overharvesting, material wastage and other unsustainable practices.
With the growing importance of bamboo, there is a need to strengthen the capacity for operating the whole business of producing, harvesting, processing and marketing the material, while ensuring the sustainability of its resources and the enterprises that depend on it.
To address this concern, the Forestry and Environment Research Division of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-PCAARRD) conducted a training-workshop.
Twenty-seven participants representing various agencies and bamboo farm owners from different regions attended the five-day training workshop titled, “Sustainable Small and Medium-Scale Bamboo Enterprises for the Green Economy.”
Dr. Ramon A. Razal and Prof. Rosalie C. Mendoza, both professors of the Department of Forest Products and Paper Science of the College of Forestry and Natural Resources of the University of the Philippines Los Baños, served as the overall facilitators for the training-workshop.
The facilitators imparted to the participants various skills and techniques in establishing and marketing sustainable bamboo enterprises through lectures and hands-on training about nursery establishment and bamboo-plantation development, bamboo innovations for entrepreneurship and marketing of bamboo-based products, among others.
“The training-workshop provided us new knowledge on the production of various bamboo products, such as charcoal, musical instruments, furniture, wood carvings and even food from bamboo shoots,” Visayas State University instructor Andy Phil said.
Participants from the private sector, on the other hand, said they appreciated the training course because of the topics on marketing and cost-benefit analysis of bamboo-based products.
In support of the DOST-PCAARRD’s capability building and R&D governance banner program, the training-workshop aimed to provide the participants knowledge on the use of bamboo for its various products, while sustaining our bamboo resources for a greener economy.
Eirene Grace C. Zaragoza / S&T Media Service
Image credits: DOST-PCAARRD