Gov’t should promote cultivation of bamboo to help protect crops, combat climate change

Environment Secretary Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga called for the planting of more trees to help beat the heat all over. We hasten to add that bamboo would more effectively address the current problem of global warming and climate change, but it is not a tree, as it belongs to the subfamily Bambusoideae of the grass family Poaceae.

Numerous references, actual proofs, and experiences—including ours as an active advocate of bamboo—attest to the wonder of this grass which can be summed up in one sentence: Bamboo can save the world!

Bamboo is the world’s fastest-growing plant, with certain species attaining full growth in about just a year, compared to trees that take up to several years to mature; gives off 30-35 percent more oxygen and sequesters 10 times or more tons of carbon dioxide than trees. Bamboo can store large amounts of water in its roots and stems, as a reservoir during droughts. The roots protect the soil from landslides and erosion.Bamboo provides food, medicine, paper, clothing, kitchen utensils, furniture, musical instruments, materials for transportation, houses, and buildings, and can replace wood and cement. Iron bamboo, for example, is stronger than steel. Check out more than 1,000 more uses. Unlike trees, bamboo would not be decimated. With judicious harvesting, it keeps growing.

Bamboo would help bring about a sound environment and economy.

However, a big challenge is posed by illegal claimants of watersheds—which are owned by the state, off-limits to human settlements, beyond the commerce of man.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has yet to confront this problem which we have actually encountered in our efforts to plant bamboo. The stems and shoots from the seedlings we had earlier planted had been uprooted or hacked, and armed men threatened us from proceeding further.

Add to that illegal logging, wanton quarrying, and destructive mining—negating the benefits that bamboo could bring.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) under Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. should also help address this problem which seriously deters the establishment and protection of bamboo plantations. Likewise, the Department of Agriculture (DA) should make good Undersecretary Deogracias Victor Savellano’s announcement that government would help mitigate climate change with the nationwide cultivation of bamboo—a welcome remark as the House of Representatives, where he came from as congressman of the first district of Ilocos Sur, reportedly has not acted for the longest time on the bills promoting the planting and propagation of bamboo.

As for the Department of Agrarian Reform’s (DAR) recent move under Secretary Conrado Estrella III to condone all unpaid amortizations of agrarian reform beneficiaries, bamboo planting and cultivation could greatly help protect the crops of the farmers, add to their income from bamboo, and rehabilitate or enhance their farmlands.

Much more needs to be done for DENR, DILG, DA, and DAR to stand up strong for the state and the people, confront those defying laws and that of nature; and work together—without delay—in all good efforts to pursue this greening mission nationwide.

Joey C. Papa and
Ana Celia A. Ver-Papa
convenors,
Bangon Kalikasan Movement,
bangonkalikasan@yahoo.com