Bamboo is often touted as the most sustainable crop and material as it is a grass that is easy to grow and contributes resources to the land on which it grows. It is also known as an "invasive" species that can get out of control and take over landscapes in a destructive way. I would like thoughts and research on how and why it becomes unmanageble and/or how to best integrate it into a permaculture system.
The development of any of the bomboo-based agroforestry systems with bamboo species such as B. multiplex, B. vulgaris (the green type), B. bambos, B. pervariabilis, B. vulgaris var vitata, O. abyssinica or D. strictus could be an opportunity to develop a sustainable bamboo biomass resource base for firewood and charcoal. In addition, boundary planting and windbreak systems with bamboo could reduce risks of crop failure and demarcate farm boundaries to minimize land litigations. Considering natural stands of bamboos (e.g. B. vulgaris) are found around water bodies in SSA, this could be a unique opportunity to manage them for riparian buffer agroforestry developments around major water bodies. Riparian buffers are importance for water resource conservation and serve other ecosystem services (such as provision of habitat for wildlife) [26, 69]. Including the aforementioned systems, monopodial bamboos may be most suitable for intercropping systems. In such intercropping systems, bamboo can be planted at varied spacing of 4 m × 4 m to 8 m × 8 m, depending on the clump size of the species. In India, crops such as finger millet, cowpea, bottle gourd, turmeric, sesame, and sweet potato were found to be more suitable [32]. Bamboo intercropping systems are rare in SSA with the latest being an INBAR-led bamboo agroforestry pilot project in the dry semi-deciduous zone of Ghana where different cropping systems with maize, cowpea and cassava are planted between the rows of B. balcooa and O. abyssinica in the quest to develop a model bamboo-based agroforestry system. While shading effects beyond three years of bamboo establishment may restrict crop integration, other shade tolerant crops like ginger could still form part of such an integrated land use system.
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4. In which agroforestry system could bamboo be used?
www.editorialmanager.com/agri/download.aspx?id=20259&guid=f87eb3d5...
Potentials of bamboo-based agroforestry for sustainable development in ..... by diversifyingagroecosystems and offering multiple economic benefits from the .
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For permaculture, i think, to plant bamboo on a steep slope or riverbank to prevent mudslide and erosion. It has environmental benefits as they function as carbon sinks, produce oxygen, control soil erosion, provide organic matter, regulate water levels in water sheds, conserve biodiversity, beautifying the landscape and essentially contribute to the purification and regulation to the environment. Its root system can hold 30-40% of its carbon so bamboo forest has a poor carbon sink. Bamboo cultivation helps to raise water tables and reduces dust storms. Its roots leach the heavy metals from the soil, hold the soil together and draw water closer to the surface. It can solve deforestation problem, moreover, its tensile strength makes it a good construction material and it is also used for furniture, flooring, textiles etc.
Tarafdar and Srivastava,
Undoubtedly bamboo can be used in all sorts of useful ways, but the original question was how to garner benefits while minimizing invasive behaviors by bamboo. I suspect that some of your recommended species are less invasive than others, or some management practices may help. Could you comment?
I have read that rhizomenous species can spread and take over where trees are planted. clumping varieties have been suggested to prevent this. I also have seen that we have native varieties in the US that were eradicated and could be useful for riparian restoration and invasive species control. I love the anove suggestions for soil stability, boundary protection and pollution control.
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