Bamboo as a Possible Alternative

Thanks to Rizwan Omar, we had the opportunity to visit Africa's largest bamboo plantation, the Lisoka Bamboo Farm. Grant Blumrick, a South African entrepreneur, gave us an overview of the current state of bamboo cultivation in Africa and the economic opportunities available.

Malawi's most prominent environmental problem is deforestation, a result of population growth and household charcoal burning. The country's forest area has declined dramatically over the past two decades. Current estimates suggest that 33,000 hectares are being lost each year, roughly the size of Vas County.

An alternative to firewood as an energy source is bamboo and bamboo briquettes. This plant grows extremely quickly and, in addition to its energy use, serves as an excellent material for construction and furniture production!

We would like to thank Grant and Riz for allowing us to personally visit this groundbreaking project!

Website of the farm: www.afribam.com