Opening a path out of poverty through bamboo cultivation.

Bamboo is a type of forestry tree that is well-suited to the soil and climate conditions of mountainous districts, especially those bordering the region. Recognizing the economic benefits of bamboo, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has collaborated with local authorities in recent years to encourage people to expand the area and invest in restoring bamboo forests. Currently, bamboo is a key crop for poverty alleviation in the mountainous areas of Thanh Hoa province.

Opening a path out of poverty through bamboo cultivation. The bitter bamboo cultivation model in Yen Thang commune (Lang Chanh district) brings high income to the local people.

Accompanied by officials from the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Quan Son district, we visited the bamboo cultivation model of Mr. Vi Van Phien's family in Hau village (Tam Lu commune). Mr. Phien told us: Previously, his family's forest land was planted with bamboo and other forestry trees, resulting in low economic efficiency. Recognizing the economic benefits of bamboo, his family decided to clear some areas of low-yielding forestry trees and switch to bamboo cultivation. The family received government support in the form of fertilizers and the transfer of new scientific and technical advancements in bamboo cultivation, in accordance with Resolution No. 185/2021/NQ-HĐND dated December 10, 2021, of the Provincial People's Council on the promulgation of policies for the development of agriculture, rural areas, and farmers in Thanh Hoa province for the period 2022-2025.

To date, his family has planted over 3 hectares of bamboo. Due to suitable soil and climate conditions, and proper technical care, the bamboo crop has developed well. Currently, the entire bamboo plantation has received FSC international certification. The bamboo is sold to businesses involved in rattan and bamboo weaving, pulp production, handicrafts, toothpicks, chopsticks, etc. Thanks to bamboo cultivation, his family has escaped poverty and become a relatively wealthy household in the commune.

According to Nguyen Dinh Thai, Head of the Forest Utilization and Development Department of the Provincial Forest Protection Sub-Department: Currently, there are 9,500 hectares of intensively cultivated bamboo in the province, distributed across the districts of Lang Chanh, Quan Hoa, Quan Son, Ba Thuoc, and Muong Lat, with the majority of the bamboo area concentrated in Quan Son district, at 7,800 hectares.

To preserve, enhance the value, and ensure the sustainable development of bamboo, the Provincial People's Committee has, over the years, issued policies to support intensive bamboo forest cultivation, support the construction of forestry roads in concentrated production forest areas, and support the issuance of sustainable forest management certificates according to Resolution No. 185/2021/NQ-HĐND dated December 10, 2021, of the Provincial People's Council. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development of Thanh Hoa province has coordinated with local authorities to encourage people to participate in bamboo cultivation for FSC certification; reorganized production by establishing cooperatives, household groups, and forest owners to manage and protect forests, and issued forest certificates linked to processing facilities. To date, the entire province has 4,292 hectares of bamboo certified under the international FSC standard (mainly in Quan Son district), accounting for 45% of the total bamboo area in the province; and has formed two linkage chains between processing facilities and bamboo growers. According to estimates, when ready for harvest, 1 hectare of bamboo can yield an income of 60 to 75 million VND.

To further develop and enhance the value of bamboo forests, in the coming time, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development will continue to coordinate with districts to promote propaganda, mobilization, and guidance for people to apply scientific and technical advancements and intensive cultivation of bamboo; continue to review degraded bamboo areas to plant high-quality bamboo varieties as replacements; develop solutions to attract investors with strong economic and scientific-technological potential to invest in building deep processing plants; and guide cooperatives and households to build bamboo raw material areas linked to FSC certification along the value chain.

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