Bamboo for ecosystem restoration and cashcrop

Bamboo for ecosystem restoration and cashcrop

Bamboo is a fast-growing crop that plays an important role in carbon sequestration and consequently in the current fight against climate change.

Bamboo is characterised for its strength and its fast-growing capacity. It can grow in degraded ecosystems with poor, eroded or polluted soils. It survives to high temperatures and after its stabilization after about 2 years, it will grow without the necessity of being irrigated. This characteristic makes this crop an interesting tool for regenerative agriculture processes.

- High biomass production: Increases carbon in the soil,
enriching it and making it more suitable for microorganisms

- Wind barrier: Protects crops growing in its surroundings
and decreases evapotranspiration

-Water retention: Decreases the erosion of the soil and
increases its water absorption capacity

On the other hand, there is a high demand for bamboo
products on the market which makes this product not only valuable for the landscape but it also provides an interesting
cash crop for the landowner.

 

Volterra experience with bamboo in Spain and Portugal

At the end of February 2020, the teams of Volterra Ecosystems and Bamboologic planted the first in a series of experimental areas on the Peninsula Ibérica. The first trial took place at Montado Freixo do Meio, a large agroecological farm in Montemor-o-Novo. In total 8 different bamboo species were planted in different lanes to test the best varieties for this type of climate. For the land owner, the bamboo serves principally as a wind break and source of biomass for mulching to support his reforestation project. Upon success, the plantations will be expanded further in this 100 ha project.

Volterra, which is active in the restoration of ecosystems is looking to apply bamboo in at least 5 other trial sites in Spain to obtain experience with this promising grass and offer land owners an attractive cash crop. Many thousands of hectares of land are currently underused in Spain, which forms an attractive potential for large scale bamboo projects and the development of a European production & processing industry.