Abstract
Ethiopia has the largest area of bamboo in Africa. However, this green gold is poorly managed and exploited. Bamboo in southern Ethiopia is also not well utilized beyond construction of traditional houses and fences. Thus, its huge economic contribution is underestimated and unable to play its stake in generating income for resource poor communities. This is apparent in Wolaita zone where population is densely distributed and the level of poverty is very high. The area is prone to resource depletion, environmental degradation and effect of climate changes which all have contributed to a chronic poverty existing by and large. In response to this challenge, this community service project seeks to contribute to the sustainable use and management of the bamboo resources largely available in the region through bamboo village entrepreneurships networking of women and youths in Wolaita area. The specific objectives are to 1) establish community based bamboo nursery sites across different Woredas, 2) introduce sustainable bamboo production, husbandry and harvesting technologies, 3) build capacity on bamboo value addition through processing and manufacturing of the resource to different products, 4) build capacity on bamboo based construction, construction units and timber production, 5) introduce and promote bamboo renewable energy sources, 6) promote marketing of bamboo products and establish market linkages through bamboo market actors enterprises, 7) promote adoption of information technology decision support system in bamboo value chain.
Presenters
Birtukan GetahunAssistant Professor, Agriculture/Plant Sciences, Wolaita Sodo University, Southern Ethiopia, Ethiopia
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Bamboo, Restoration, Value chain
