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As of the spring of 2004, our project has two faces in the community of
Bamdi. One is the craft training school which employs over a
dozen women learning and making crafts from bamboo. (Click
here)
 The
other is our nursery where we have grown and
distributed over 5000 bamboo starts. We have planted over 120
acres of erosion threatened land, 5 acres of which were on land that
has seasonal rivers. We have sought out and propagated many
varieties of bamboo each having remarkable characteristics offering
one advantage or another.
Above,
1 year old bamboo is being uprooted for transplanting.
Our
Nursery manager inspects 2 year old bamboo, after it has survived a
season of flash flooding.
3 year
old bamboo after 2 years in the flood plain. The success of this experiment
brings offers of much more land that we can plant with starts from the
nursery.
After
just a few years the 5000+ bamboo starts we have planted will
mature and start producing bamboo poles to harvest. Soon after there
will be an excess of bamboo in the larger community of Pokhara.
Currently
we are laying out detailed plans for a small factory near
Pokhara. This will produce plywood and corrugated sheet roofing
made from woven bamboo mats soaked in resin and pressed together in a
hydraulic press.
This
product will compete with imported sheet metal roofing and plywood,
saving thousands of dollars from leaving the area and country.
At least 200 jobs for women weaving bamboo mats at their own homes
will be created. Farmers throughout the area will be encouraged
to plant bamboo on their erosion prone lands, which creates income for
those managing the bamboo.
The
bamboo itself is a blessing to any environment. Its rapid leaf
and wood development generates much needed fodder and firewood.
The roots rapidly move into areas of seasonal runoff laying down
a carpet of roots that filter the water of an incredible amount of
pollutants and toxins. The root matting works well to tie and
net together even the rockiest of soils.
Here around Bamdi, good things happen when we plant bamboo.
It's a good thing we have lots of bamboo to plant.
You can contact the Bamboo's Secret
Charity for more information, contributions, spiffy ideas and/or work offerings
at:
The Bamboo's Secret
Email: tech@bamboosecret.org
Phone: 1 (808) 344 -8023
Or directly in Nepal:
The Bamboo's Secret School
Bamdi, Chapakot
Email to Nepal: tech@bamboosecret.org
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