In Uganda, bamboo has government’s backing as a crop with real growth potential

By RODNEY MUHUMUZA
Associated Press

ALONG RIVER RWIZI, Uganda (AP) — Bamboo farming is on the rise in Uganda, where the hardy and fast-growing crop is seen by the government as having real growth potential. Officials are setting ambitious planting goals as part of a broader reforestation plan in the East African nation. Bamboo can be burned for fuel in rural communities, taking pressure off dwindling forest preserves and other plants like eucalyptus. Businesses can turn it into furniture and other products. The caretaker of one bamboo farm says that unlike eucalyptus trees, which are cut once and then are done, bamboo regenerates like a weed. In his words, planting bamboo pays off for “the grandkids and their grandkids and their grandkids.”