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Bamboo And Poverty Reduction In China

Classified as a 'non-timber forest product' (NTFP), bamboo is one of the most utilised forest resources in the world. Photo by Widya Prajanthi

Perhaps never before in history has a nation seen such rapid economic development and social change as China has in the past 25 years. This spectacular economic growth has contributed to an unprecedented rise in living standards, and yet China still has well over 100 million people living in poverty.

Since October 2006 Australia's Nick Hogarth has been based in China, seeking to understand the relationship of forests and forest-products to the livelihoods of the rural poor.

His research is part of CIFOR's Poverty and Environment Network (PEN) project and focuses specifically on the case of bamboo in Tianlin County, Guangxi Province, with the aim to determine its potential as a natural resource for economic development and poverty alleviation.

Nick is also supported by AusAID, Charles Darwin University (Australia) and Guangxi University.

In accordance with PEN methodology, his research has taken place at multiple scales of analysis. This has consisted of detailed household income surveys (cash and non-cash) conducted quarterly, two village surveys and two annual household surveys. 240 households were randomly selected across 6 villages.

In addition, the project has involved a review of the institutional arrangements, laws, rules, regulations and policies that impact on forest use.

"In recent years Guangxi's economy has languished behind that of its wealthy neighbour (the province of Guangdong), with high levels of poverty, especially in remote mountain communities that are made up largely of ethnic minority groups," said Nick.

"To conduct the field-work I established my site in northwest Guangxi, about 150km from the Vietnamese border," he added. "I assembled a team of 10 postgraduate students from Guanxi University, who I trained in the methodology, and then we made regular trips to Tianlin County where a strong relationship was fostered with the local Forestry Department."

Classified as a 'non-timber forest product' (NTFP), bamboo is one of the most utilised forest resources in the world. The shoots are used as food, while the timber serves as material used in building, paper pulp, clothing fibre, charcoal, furniture, utensils, flooring, fence posts, musical instruments, woven mats and baskets. Bamboo plants are also used for wastewater treatment, and as windbreaks, shelterbelts, dust barriers, fuel wood and forage crops.

Throughout Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, a coastal province located in the southwest of China, there exists an estimated 160,000ha of bamboo. While several bamboo species are cultivated or wild harvested to supply shoots for local processing factories, the majority of bamboo products are produced by small-scale, family owned enterprises.

"Over the past two decades bamboo has been increasing in importance as a forest resource in China, but the growth of the sector has not kept up with the demand," said Nick. "And although China currently leads the world in bamboo research, exploitation, production, and management, there are many constraints to the growth of the sector in Guangxi," he added.

"Initial observations indicate that most households throughout Guangxi are predominantly agrarian, but all use forest products to varying degrees. Natural forest use is minimal, mainly due to central government policies, so plantation forest products – like bamboo – are very important."

"There is real potential to improve the utilisation of the available bamboo resources and to expand the resource as a means to improve income and employment for many people, however there has been very little research and development work done. This is what I am trying to remedy" said Nick.