Last Updated: 23/01/2024
Goal of the program: To create improved economic opportunities for women and men smallholding farmers belonging to rural and marginalised communities through sustainable use of natural resources.
Project Objective - Small and marginalized farmers become part of an ethical and transparent bamboo supply chain.
To promote cultivation of FSC certified bamboo with 500 small and marginal (female and male) farmers:
The area under bamboo cultivation in India is estimated to be more than 13.96 million hectares, with more than 136 distinct species. Scientifically, bamboo is not a tree but grass. However, the Indian Forest Act of 1927 considered it a tree. Accordingly, cutting bamboo from outside forests and transporting it was made unlawful. In 2017, an amendment was made to the Indian Forest Act 1927, and bamboo was removed from the tree category. As a result of this, anyone willing can take up Bamboo cultivation and start a Bamboo plantation without the need of requiring any licenses. While this indicates a high potential for the use of Bamboo, it is constrained by a Low level of dependable bamboo production by farmers due to a lack of understanding of bamboo species, its adoption and management, and a commercial need for sustainably grown (FSC-certified) bamboo. Thus, India is a net importer of bamboo, with a negligible share in the international market at 4%, despite having a bamboo-bearing area of 13 million hectares. Furthermore, Bamboo sequesters four times more carbon dioxide than average timber and produces 35% more oxygen. As a fast-growing and highest-yielding renewable resource, bamboo offers high revenue returns to its growers while driving carbon sequestration. The environmental impact is visible through sustainable plantation, cultivation, and harvesting practices, enabling improved land management and increased carbon sequestration. The value chain is building rural livelihoods in both farming and artisanal production, enabling improved working conditions and increased income for smallholder farmers and artisans. Industree has encouraged women and men farmers to grow India’s first Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified Bamboo on their smallholder farms. Bamboo is the fastest-growing plant with the highest carbon sequestration potential and can provide recurring income to smallholder farmers for over 30-40 years.
Industree Foundation is initiating The Regenerative Agroforestry and Livelihoods (REAL) Fund in the bamboo value chain in Maharashtra. This will focus on training about 10,500 farmers in growing bamboo as per sustainable cultivation and harvest practices (FSC Standards) and 800 women artisans in making value-added products as per the FSC Certification norms, which will ensure high demand for the furniture and artifacts produced both for export as well as domestic consumption. The remaining bamboo will be sold in domestic and international markets.
Industree is a 23-year-old NGO that has been working on scaling regenerative economies, with a focus on underserved rural communities. Since inception, we have impacted the lives of 600,000 people and created markets worth 59.5 million USD. Industree plays the role of an implementing agency, facilitating the aggregation of producers into self-owned collective enterprises, training them in developing products that appeal to modern markets, and connecting them to national and global supply chains. Thereby fostering an organised creative manufacturing ecosystem in which rural producers from economically deprived backgrounds can earn a steady income and gain access to consistent demand for their products, lift themselves out of poverty and help society meet its sustainable development-goals.
The aim is to strengthen producers to achieve