FLARE 2023: Improving livelihoods of forest-proximate people and communities with bamboo

INBAR Central Africa Regional Director René Kaam presenting on the contribution of bamboo to livelihoods in Cameroon. Credit: FLARE Secretariat.

Key meeting in Nairobi puts the focus on bamboo as a non-timber forest product for sustainable development.

From 12 – 16 October 2023, the Forests & Livelihoods: Assessment, Research, and Engagement (FLARE) meeting kicked off in Nairobi, Kenya at the CIFOR-ICRAF Campus. Organized back-to-back with the Global Landscape Forum 2023, the mission of FLARE is to advance knowledge at the intersection of forests and livelihoods and facilitate applications in policy and practice.

Poor forest-proximate people (FPP) and communities are the most vulnerable and dependent group on forest resources. Ironically, the majority of forest resources are unevenly distributed, delivering minimal benefits to poor FPP and communities.

To increase the forest benefits of poor FPP and communities, there is now an urgent need to better engage local stakeholders in the management of forest resources. There is also ample room for expanding the sustainable utilization of non-timber forest products (NTFP) found in the area. Bamboo fits squarely within the latter option. This is because bamboo is a pro-poor resource with significant potential to boost livelihoods of FPP and communities.

Speakers on stage discussed the possibilities of better forest management policies and practices for livelihood improvement at the Plenary Event. Credit: FLARE Secretariat.

With over 10,000 different products, the global trade of bamboo is estimated at USD 60 billion. The sector has growing implications for contributing to livelihood improvements for poor FPP and communities. This could be done through the development of diverse bamboo value chains, using simple but effective and efficient technology. Some of these value chains include woven products, fiber products, panel-based products, kitchenware and plastic substitution products.

INBAR advocated for developing these value chains at the FLARE meeting. INBAR Central Africa Regional Director René Kaam put forth the contribution of bamboo to the livelihoods of bamboo-user communities, drawing upon lessons learned from past and ongoing work in Cameroon. These actions are in alignment aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goal 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere.

At a time when most governments are seeking out ways to diversify local economies to bolster resilience in the face of numerous global issues such as climate change, poverty reduction and more, INBAR’s presentation particularly stood out, attracting the interest of many stakeholders, including smallholder farmers, commercial agriculture managers, eco-entrepreneurs, researchers, practitioners and policymakers. Key questions discussed included, “What is the total contribution of bamboo to the income of FPP?” and, more specifically, “What is the contribution of bamboo to the income of stakeholders within the bamboo value chain, including bamboo owners/traditional leaders, harvesters, processors and traders and consumers?”

Kaam also attended the Plenary Session. Credit: FLARE Secretariat.

The FLARE meeting contributed to increasing the global recognition of bamboo as an NTFP capable of significantly improving the livelihoods of FPP and communities, along with delivering other knock-on benefits. Members of the audience also suggested that INBAR considers quantifying the global contribution of bamboo to the total livelihood improvements of forest-proximate communities to help showcase the impact of the plant resource.

INBAR concluded its presentation by reiterating its enthusiasm for working closely with its 50 Members States to promote sustainable development based on bamboo and rattan.

For more information about INBAR’s participation at FLARE 2023 Nairobi, contact rkaam[at]inbar[dot]int.