In central Uganda’s Nakasongola District, 117 km from the capital, Kampala, a new era of sustainable bamboo farming is on the go. 

China, a global leader in bamboo production, has partnered with the Ugandan government to promote bamboo farming in that area and the country at large. Bamboo farming, launched over a decade ago, has attracted a sizeable number of farmers throughout the country. 

The biggest bamboo farm in the country is located in Nakasongola District and cover 500 acres (202.34 hectares). It belongs to the Uganda Bamboo Association (UBA), and with support from the government, it is also used as a demonstration farm, where hundreds of bamboo farmers from across the country periodically converge to be trained by Chinese experts on how to sustainably grow bamboo. 

According to Chris Masagazi, one of the bamboo farmers in Nakasongola, the bamboo farm there was launched with the aim of supporting Ugandan farmers in cultivating and processing bamboo. 

“A good number of us have grown bamboo on our plots of land. Chinese experts have been occasionally coming here to share with us their expertise on bamboo cultivation, harvesting, and product development,” he said. 

Government bamboo planting goals  

Flavia Munaba, UBA chairperson, told ChinAfrica that while he has his own bamboo farm at Busega near the capital Kampala, the UBA has a 500-acre farm in the Nakasongola District.  

“We receive training and bamboo seedlings from the Chinese teams and that has led to an increased quantity of bamboo grown,” said Munaba. 

She said many new jobs have been created for the country’s youth related to bamboo farming and the plant’s many uses. 

“Bamboo grows very fast and can thrive in many climates and soils. It can be used in many ways including as construction materials. It is a natural substitute for many forest products,” said Munaba. 

The National Agriculture Research Organisation Spokesman Frank Mugabi said the Ugandan government has set a goal to grow hundreds of thousands of hectares of bamboo by 2029. 

“Bamboo farmers benefit a lot from Chinese experts as far as growing bamboo is concerned. Soon, they are to benefit from further bamboo production training, following an announcement by the Chinese government to establish a bamboo training and plantation project in this country,” said Mugabi.  

National bamboo strategy 

In 2019, the Uganda National Bamboo Strategy and Action Plan for 2019-2029 was launched to promote bamboo development in the country, with a target to restore 375,000 hectares of degraded forest land with bamboo by year 2030. 

Its overall goal is to ensure coordinated development of the bamboo industry to propel green economic development and production of high-value products targeting domestic, regional and international markets. 

According to the report, developed and written by the Ministry of Water and Environment of Uganda, and produced by the International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation, the Ministry of Water and Environment estimates that planting and managing bamboo will contribute a 15-percent increase towards Uganda’s goal of restoring 2.5 million hectares of forest landscape by 2030, and that the strategy will help to create 150,000 full-time jobs, producing 140 million bamboo poles annually.  

China’s assistance  

According to Munaba, China is helping to boost bamboo farming in Uganda through a variety of initiatives. She said that since 2012, the China Resource Centre has been supporting Ugandan bamboo farmers. Support includes training, whereby the Chinese send agricultural experts to Uganda to train farmers in bamboo cultivation. “Apart from sending experts, they also introduced bamboo varieties that are better suited to Uganda’s soil conditions. They are collaborating with the Uganda Industrial Research Institute to explore how to add value to bamboo. They have [also] established demonstration sites to train farmers in value-addition technology,” said Munaba. 

On 22 October 2023, during the launch of the China-Africa Centre of Excellence held at the National Crops Resources Research Institute at Namulonge, the Chinese government announced plans to establish a bamboo-training and plantation project in Uganda. 

The centre is a collaborative initiative between China’s BGI Group, a company focusing on genetic research, and the National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO). 

The Chinese Ambassador to Uganda Zhang Lizhong said that arrangements are being finalised to send more experts in bamboo cultivation to Uganda. “We will soon dispatch nine agricultural experts in bamboo cultivation. Uganda has allocated land for bamboo plantations, and China will introduce varieties more suited for this land, complementing existing bamboo species in Uganda,” said Zhang.  

NARO Director General Yonah Baguma thanked China for supporting bamboo farmers in Uganda.  

One of the farmers benefitting from Chinese expertise, Dennis Mukasa, said he was taught how to grow and nurture his bamboo crop. “I thank the Chinese for helping me to gain knowledge on how to grow bamboo. I am earning more money from bamboo [than growing other plants], which I mostly sell to carpenters,” said Mukasa. 

African Times has published this article in partnership with ChinAfrica Magazine