Agriculture Business Week

More than its function and its seemingly new found glitz, what truly makes the bamboo a remarkable plant are its potential contribution to environmental causes, poverty mitigation and disaster risk management

For centuries, the towering bamboo trees have been sprouting in practically every nook and cranny of our archipelago that we have often taken it for granted. Let’s admit it. When was the last time we really looked at a nipa hut made of bamboo with much admiration? We often sit in chairs made of bamboo slats but we never really paid much attention to the beauty of its raw material or the artistry of its craftsmanship. Just like the air we breathe, we often fail to appreciate let alone mull over the significance of the world’s tallest and fastest growing weed. We just know that it’s there.

Things have changed lately. News about the recent banning of forest hardwood in European countries in favor of the environment-friendly Asian tropical bamboo has somehow led bamboo growing countries to see the giant weed in a different light. China, for one has recently started a bamboo revolution, with the government encouraging the massive planting of bamboos in their vast tracks of land. In fact, Anji, China, the site of the world-famous martial arts fight scenes in the 2000 Ang Lee movie “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” has become an important site for agri-tourism because the whole city is virtually surrounded by magnificent swaying bamboo trees. Chinese bamboo craftsmen have also been getting the attention they deserve because of the growing demand for bamboo flooring, furniture and other bamboo products in the European and American markets. A perfect example of this is the famous Barjas Airport in Madrid, Spain, (which utilized more than 200,000 square meters of bamboo plywood for its flooring and its wavy fire-proof rooftop) designed by Richard Stirk Harbour & Partners which is now considered as a classic architectural wonder.

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The lack of sustainable raw materials is one of the biggest problems stifling the growth of the country’s forest-based furniture and handicrafts industries. Despite this, however, the sector can still count itself fortunate.

The Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI), an agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), is doing its best to help these two industries find new raw materials to substitute for traditional but less available ones.

According to FPRDI Officer-in-Charge Felix B.Tamolang, “One of FPRDI’s core commitments is to widen the raw material base of the forest-based furniture and handicrafts industries thru pro-active research. The Institute understands how much of a headache the raw material problem can be, especially for exporters. While imported lumber is available in the market, it is usually priced beyond the reach of many SMEs.”

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Pilmico Animal Nutrition Corporation supported the Aboitize’s “I take the Aboitiz 1 Million Trees Challenge” in Sitio Kawili-wili, Brgy. Cut-Cut II, Capas, Tarlac last October 10, 2009 to extend the company’s goal to promote environmental conservation as part of its corporate social responsibility.

The main goal of this environment-related project this year is to plant 1, 000 Ilang-Ilang seedlings within the area of Kawili-wili Elementary School. The project will be a positive action to the environment to prevent the recent calamities triggered by incessant rain and flooding which affected many lives.

The first and second tree planting project of the company held 2006 & 2007 took place within the vicinity of Capas National Shrine where its swine breeder and finisher farm operate in which the volunteers planted 1,000 seedlings of Mahogany each year.

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The pine wood nematode, a microscopic worm carried by sawyer beetles, entered Japan in the early 1900s and has since killed large tracts of the country’s pine trees. It entered Missouri in the US in 1979 and until now continues to decimate pines in mid-western and eastern states.

The Asian long-horned beetle, on the other hand, slipped into the US in 1996 and wiped out many hardwood trees in Chicago and New York. Also native to Asia, the Dutch Elm disease caused by the fungi Ophiostoma ulmi was introduced to Europe after World War I. By infecting the tree’s sapwood, it eliminated most majestic American elms in Europe’s urban areas and continues to destroy many trees each year.

How did these pests manage to cross the seas, settle and wreak havoc in new lands? Thru wooden packaging materials (WPM) that are used to move commodities around the world.

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Increased rates of deforestation, unsustainable agricultural land use, and severe soil degradation are creating widespread poverty and environmental degradation in developing countries. Each day; the world loses about 125 square miles of its forests. That’s 34.5 million acres or 14 million hectares every year Most of this takes place in the developing countries of the humid tropics. Reforestation efforts are limited to only about 10% of the total area and most efforts are not promising.

Every year, the equivalent of 40 billion tons of carbon dioxide enters the global atmosphere, the result of the ever-increasing use of fossil fuels. This increase in atmospheric carbon, in combination with the loss of forests has combined to make global climate change worse.

The resulting human tragedy must be a cause for real concern because it affects all of us in so many ways. Global food security is declining, as is the world’s supply of safe drinking water. The death toll from floods and mudslides rises every year. World peace is threatened as nations wage war over a dwindling base of natural resources. Millions of rural families are forced from the homes into urban slums as the loss of the forests makes it no longer possible for their lands to support them.

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Investing in Philippine pili nut trees might be an overlooked opportunity due to the lack of media exposure.

Philippines – February 1, 2010 – “One of the best Philippines investments might be the organic farms growing pili nuts; pili trees can give a harvest for up to 100 years” according to Will Irwin who is currently writing his next book ‘Additional Income for Expats in the Philippines’. It is viewed as a good alternative to the usually offered real estate investments like condotels and apartments. Projected ROI is expected to be higher also; pili nuts are one of the highest profit products exported from the Philippines.

The basic idea boils down to the fact that the Philippines has all that is required to produce extremely high yields in agriculture; what is lacking is mostly the implementation of the latest know-how and technologies. Agro-business in general has created one of the richest people in this country.

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Following a successful tie-up with a businessman in the commercialization of bamboo charcoal briquettes, the Ilocos Agriculture and Resources Research and Development Consortium (ILARRDEC) of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resources Research and Development (PCARRD) has now started to promote its bamboo technologies in the local government level to further boost bamboo production and utilization in Region I.

ILARRDEC director Dr. Stanley Malab said during PCARRD’s 37th anniversary last November that the City of Alaminos in Pangasinan is now advocating the production and utilization of bamboo in its local industries, ranging from food establishments to the tourism sector.

The project is called “Science and Technology Intervention for the Promotion and Commercialization of Engineered Bamboo: Academe, LGU Partnership Model.”

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Cutting trees is not really a bad thing. That’s what our friend Dave Deppner, the founder of Trees for the Future, says. Trees, he said, are an important resource for everyone on earth. What is bad is when people cut trees but do not replant them. Trees are cut for many reasons. Valuable wood is needed in construction, furniture making and so many other uses. Wood, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization is the major source of cooking fuel for over half of the world.

For more than 25 years, Trees for the Future, a non-government organization, has been planting trees in more than 50 countries and has been responsible for establishing no less than 90 million trees. What the NGO has been planting are a wide range of multi-purpose fast-growing trees. These include species for timber, fuel wood, forage, erosion control, etc.

What they don’t plant are eucalyptus and pine trees which don’t make for sustainable land management for the long term. Eucalyptus trees are fast growing in a wide range of elevations, soils and climatic conditions. While they produce fuelwood and timber for many uses, eucalyptus do not lend themselves to sustainable land management systems.

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Did you know that one of the reasons behind the distinctive durability of the old houses is the sablot tree? Called Indian Laurel in English or Litsea glutinosa scientifically, sablot tree’s leaves have a substance that if mixed with other matters, can make an excellent plaster for buildings.

According to Dr. Alfredo R. Rabena, Director of Research and Development of the University of Northern Philippines (UNP) in Vigan City, Ilocos Sur, he found out that the leaves of sablot has a sticky pigment which our forefathers,process into plaster. Here’s how they did it, according to Rabena.

First, dip the sablot leaves into a basin of water. Let it soaked in a week and let the sticky pigment be extracted. Mix it with lime, molasses, and sand. Then use the mixture to coat the building. This procedure was fully explained in His research paper, which was included in the book Multipurpose Trees in Asia. It was published In 2006 by the International Union of Forestry- Research Organization (IUFRO) based in Yokohama, Japan.

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Bamboo is known as the world’s tallest grass. But recently, it has received a new name, “the grass of hope.” More and more people around the world are now beginning to see bamboo in a different perspective. Although bamboo has been part of their art and culture, it was only recently that Chinese leaders took the plant seriously and are now building a massive bamboo industry.

The Philippines is following suit. “Bamboo has proven to be vital resources in terms of their contribution to the national economy and ecological stability of the country,” Environment Secretary Lito Atienza was quoted as saying.

A master plan for the development of bamboo as a renewable and sustainable resource showed that there are 39,000 hectares to 52,000 hectares of bamboo stands in forest lands, government plantation, privately-owned plantations, and natural stands all over the country. “I think during the 1930s, we have around 200,000 hectares of bamboo plantations,” revealed Romualdo Sta. Ana, president of the Philippine Bamboo Foundation.

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Nueva Ecija – For many years, the Kalahans earn a living only by producing fruit preserves. These native forest dwellers of the province sell their jams and jellies in supermarkets in Metro Manila. Sadly, their income hardly make ends meet, especially these hard times.

For this reason, the Forest Products Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) of the Department of Science and Technology thought of teaching these folk to make handmade paper as an added source of income. FPRDI conducted a three-day training course for this purpose and mostly housewives and students attended it.

“We taught [them] how to make handmade paper from salago bark, cogon leaves, and wild banana leave sheaths. They were surprised to learn that these raw materials that thrive in their land and have little use to them can easily be transformed into beautiful handmade paper,” said Cesar O. Austria of FPRDI.

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The World Bamboo Organization (WBO) is dedicated to promoting the use of bamboo and bamboo products for the sake of the environment and the economy. We play a crucial networking role by connecting people for useful collaborations on all things related to bamboo.

We are very excited by the great opportunity to organize the VIII World Bamboo Congress in Thailand in September, 2009. The dates will be set for 16-19 September, which coincides with the 113th Anniversary of the Royal Forest Department on the 18th of September.
This truly unique conference is the culmination of our efforts to physically unite bamboo enthusiasts and professionals from all over the world and especially throughout Thailand and south-east Asia. Since its inception in Puerto Rico in 1984, each World Bamboo Congress has convened a vast array of individuals, institutions, businesses, and decision makers, and has created new partnerships that have made a real difference for the environment and human communities around the world. The WBC in Thailand promises to be the most ambitious international bamboo event ever. It will be uniquely informative, educational, culturally and intellectually challenging. The event will highlight the state-of-the-art in bamboo science, technology and industry. It will be a forum to stimulate the dialog between researchers, entrepreneurs, industrialists, ecologists, and policy makers. It will help bridge the gap between supply and demand, need and fulfillment, producer and consumer, problem and solution.

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Kaingin, also known as swidden farming, is not really that destructive as the term usually connotes. On the contrary, it promotes plant diversity, preserves indigenous plant varieties, provides organic fertilizer, and provides food for some biotic components of the ecosystem.

This is based on a study conducted by Prof. Anacleto Caringal and Mars Panganiban of the Batangas State University in the biodiversity corridors of Southern Batangas.

Study revealed that subsistence and cash crops in kaingin farms enhance plant diversity. Observed in the farms were about 10 species and 10 genera of vegetables; seven genera/species and six families of rootcops; 13 species of fruit crops distributed in 10 genera/families; five species, three genera and two families of legumes; four genera of at least three families of spices and condiments; and four forage and pasture species/genera under three families.

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COMPARISON TO OTHER BIOENERGY SOURCE
Comparing the characteristics of BPW based -from the study of Dr. Malab’s team and the standard heating values of charcoal (CRH and wood waste) and briquette (common hardwood and gmelina), the following results were obtained:

BPW has higher heat value (4,997 kcal/kg) than CRH (3,000 kcal/kg) and wood charcoal (2,222 kcal/kg), and was found comparable to common hardwood briquette (5,162 kcal/kg) and gmelina briquette (4,636 kcal/kg).

In terms of ash content, BPW has 8%13%, CRH and wood charcoal both have 8%-10%, common hardwood briquette has 8.18%, and gmelina briquette has 7.32%. However, common hardwood and gmelina briquettes have higher density at 0.52 g/cc and 0.54 g/ cc, respectively than BPW which has 0.46 g/cc.

It was noted that BPW does not easily crumble. It also produces white to clear fumes and does not cause blackening of cookware’s bottom, according to Dr. Malab. He added that a kilo of BPW burns in 2.5 hours, which means that it can cook up to three regular meals.

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