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From food to medicine and construction materials, fast-growing bamboo will offer more than you need
Jovenales Njuguna, a bamboo farmer and expert, poses next to a clump of bamboo in his farm in Isinya. Unlike other trees that take decades to mature, bamboo can be commercially useful in five years. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
- Unlike other trees that take decades to mature, bamboo can be commercially useful in five years.
- It is used as human food and animal fodder, in construction, fencing, handicraft, furniture, soil and water conservation.
- In Kenya, it is increasingly being used in greenhouses as support for plants like tomatoes.
- Eating the shoots helps individuals lose weight and boost the body’s immune system. Bamboo can also be taken as tea.
Arundinaria alpina (bamboo) is the world’s fastest-growing hard wood. Although it is native to warm and moist tropical and temperate climates, many species are found in diverse climates, ranging from hot tropical regions to cool highlands.
The most prevalent bamboo species in Kenya, according to the Kenya Forestry Research Institute (Kefri), is the alpine bamboo.
