Grass is greener: why bamboo trumps useful eucalyptus

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THERE is a growing movement among local authorities in SA lobbying for the replacement of water-guzzling eucalyptus trees with plantations of bamboo grass, which proponents say has more downstream value chain opportunities.

Bamboo is the biggest member of the grass family. It is grown mainly for its tough fibre, which has about 5000 uses, including production of paper.

Eucalyptus, too, has many uses, having been imported for use in mining, as well as for firewood, telephone poles and housing. Eucalyptus oil is also the most powerful antiseptic in its class, with several disinfectant properties.

But water scarcity and the onset of the green movement have prompted a search for alternative plants with just as many economic benefits. Unlike bamboo's 2l a day , eucalyptus trees use up to 200l water a day.

Already in the Eastern Cape, bamboo is being promoted as a high-yielding, renewable natural resource. The grass owes the spotlight on it to a state -funded research and development programme exploring the possible replacement of alien forests planted almost a century ago.

Should it take off, bamboo cultivation would be the newest addition to a group of crops that includes hemp, flax, agave Americana and pineapple, targeted for investment by the province.

Over the past eight years, a research and development programme funded by the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) and the Industrial Development Corporation has identified these crops as suitable for spawning new industries.

Several pilot projects are under way to encourage farmers to grow the crops and create niches for the province's agricultural sector.

Bamboo cultivation is also expected to gain new converts when conservationist and environmental activist Jeunesse Park gives a presentation in Durban next month on the effect of climate change on SA and what the country can do to address it.

Ms Park will join former US vice-president Al Gore and 22 others who will give talks around the globe . She is a board member of the Carbon Protocol of SA and of Global Carbon Exchange, and also represents Renewable Energy Solutions, a company that is promoting bamboo to help reduce carbon pollution.

Peter Pearce of the Biomass Corporation says giant timber bamboo sequesters more carbon dioxide than any other plant. It is relatively easy to grow, is self- sustainable and many of its species are well adapted to African climates.

The company has been negotiating with the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to plant bamboo in Mpumalanga and the Eastern Cape. The Agricultural Research Council has said bamboo would also grow well in KwaZulu-Natal and the eastern parts of Limpopo.

Biomass Corporation says the first of four 50 ha projects financed by the various local government departments are under way at Inyaka farm, in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga . A nursery facility on the outskirts of Nelspruit has been established and planting has begun.

In the Eastern Cape, provincial authorities are hoping to convince farmers to convert up to 42000ha to bamboo , including 12000ha of land devastated by flooding and soil contaminated with toxic fertiliser .

Head of development projects at the ECDC, Phaka misa George, says most of the bamboo biomass produced in the Eastern Cape is for power generation. This will be done through the use of either bio-oil or "torrefied bamboo" (intensely heated).

The project planners even believe bamboo could help power Coega's aluminium smelter, along with other projects that have since been put on hold due to Eskom's power shortages.

Mr George says due to the range of uses for bamboo , the province will not wait for trees to grow before starting downstream production such as timber, flooring and crafts.

"The raw material could be imported for now, giving the province time to train rural communities to process the plant and manufacture goods," he says.

Bamboo starts to yield within three to four years of planting. Bamboo plantations are not as susceptible to fire as hardwood or softwood forests.

The grass can be harvested annually and nondestructively. It can easily be intercropped with shallow-rooted crops during the developing stage.

Parts are used in rural households - shoots for food, leaves for fodder. Bamboo supports 2,2- billion people in cottage industries worldwide.

"It is a viable replacement for wood and is one of the strongest building materials. It can bring these same benefits to SA and the rest of Africa," Mr Pearce says.

Bhargavi Motukuri of the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan in India says with modern technological advances, bamboo is ideal to use as a raw biomass replacing fossil fuels.

As technologies evolve to make "clean coal" and biofuels , bamboo is prov ing to be the ideal high-yielding biomass .

"Bamboos are excellent for rejuvenating degraded lands and protecting against soil erosion. Plantation establishment needs minimal capital investment and builds upon the inherent plant- cultivation skills of local farmers and foresters," she says.

Business Day AUGUST 06 2012, 13:22