Enhancing Sustainability and Productivity of Bamboo in the Philippines: Some Initiatives

Abstract

Bamboos are the most widely known non-wood forest product (NWFP) of the Philippines, being ubiquitous and the most highly urban of them all. It has also received the greatest attention from government in the last two decades, with at least three top government agencies advocating the resource to promote community livelihood and environmental protection. Institutional arrangement i.e., Philippine Bamboo Industry Development Council has been established to oversee the Philippine bamboo industry, and a Bamboo Industry Roadmap was formulated to guide its development. Although bamboo is legally considered as a forest product, bamboo has also been declared as a high value crop, which makes initiatives on bamboo research and businesses eligible for various government assistance programs. As a priority species, bamboo is also used in government greening programs as an alternative to wood and to support community-based enterprises. In research, bamboo was used as a novel source of chemicals, while innovative structural applications such as the development of novel bamboo connectors, the fabrication of engineered bamboo, and the architectural use of bamboo for typhoon-resistant houses and as sports venue had been demonstrated. Bamboos are also projected to help economic recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic with its potential to spur income and job-creating enterprises in bamboo-rich regions of the country. Limited knowledge, supply and market information gaps needs to be addressed through intensified research, policy changes to enhance the investment climate, and increased marketing efforts.