Tanzania, Ethiopia, Madagascar
For millions of disadvantaged people in Eastern and Southern Africa, bamboo has huge potential to contribute to poverty alleviation, environmental protection and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Bamboo can be easily integrated into agriculture – including wastelands, degraded lands and in homesteads – or farmed as the main cash crop by smallholders.
During 2010-2013, INBAR successfully implemented the IFAD-funded project, Mainstreaming Pro-Poor Livelihoods and Addressing Environmental Degradation with Bamboo in Eastern and Southern Africa. The project aimed at developing livelihood and income generation options which also reduced deforestation and soil erosion, and contributed to environmental sustainability.
South-South Knowledge Transfer Strategies aims to consolidate and build on the investments made through this initiative. The project will mainstream bamboo as a source of income along the entire value chain, from growing to processing to distribution. It will be informed by our improved understanding of local contexts and markets and our existing relationships with local stakeholders in the three beneficiary countries.
The project has seen successes in all four of its project components, namely:
You can download more information about the project, including posters in Amharic, French, Malagasy and Swahili, below.
(Pictured: A Malagasy woman on a bamboo planting course)