Fermenting Bamboo Shoots

The predominant bamboo of Tamenglong is Melocanna baccifera. The culms of Muli, as it is known, are very useful and the shoots are edible. A traditional method of preparing the shoots for consumption involves burying them under stones in bamboo baskets to allow them to ferment for a week or more. They can then be taken out and cooked. But, Muli is not presently managed for shoot production, so the project develops basic bamboo processing and management skills for bamboo shoots.

Bamboo forest destruction by slash and burn.

Slash and burn agriculture (Jhum) is the predominant means of food cultivation in Tamenglong. Large areas of the hillslopes are burned each year. As the population has increased, the pressure on the land has increased, and Jhumming takes place much more regularly than the 15 year traditional rotation cycle. As a result the land has limited opportunities to recover fertility before being re-jhummed and this creates a vicious cycle.

Developing settled agriculture would be an ideal means of limiting this destructive practice - The INBAR-TAMBAC project aims to promote such agricultural practices, as well as providing opportunities for people to use their local bamboo resources for income generation and environmental protection.