Ecological gains from returning to use of bamboo

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): The increasing need to find alternative materials to wood is gaining momentum in Indonesia and throughout the world as the once abundant forest resource grows scarce.

One of the most viable solutions might be the use of bamboo, which has actually been utilized by the local people for hundreds of years.

Never a day in the life of many Indonesians passes without bamboo being used. Villagers live in bamboo houses, sleep on bamboo mats and eat from bamboo bowls. They wear sandals woven from bamboo strips and keep their chickens in bamboo cages. They water their crops with pipes made from hollow bamboo stalks. Some even have young bamboo shoots for their daily meals.

There are more than 5,000 diverse functions of bamboo according to its expert Dr Elizabeth Widjaya in her book Bamboo of Indonesia.

Yet despite its multifarious benefits, bamboo was abandoned by people, particularly those living in urban areas, in line with the flood of Western products. They replaced bamboo walls and roofs with timber, cement and ceramic tiles. They threw away their bamboo baskets and other household utensils to make way for plastic and steel products. Bamboo was used by villagers and so it became associated with village and rustic life.

But the current global call to use more environmentally sound commodities has forced many people to go back to alternative materials like bamboo.

To reintroduce people to the advantages of bamboo, the Indonesian Bamboo Society, established in l995, held a series of activities including an exhibition, a seminar and a cultural event to celebrate its second anniversary. On Tuesday night, they will hold a bamboo extravaganza featuring songs and dances in the company of a bamboo orchestra.

The exhibition, held at the Manggala Wana Bhakti building here last week, offered exemplary works that enabled people to appreciate the inherent features of bamboo, thereby promoting greater public awareness of this rich natural heritage.

Participants from Central Java, for instance, displayed products ranging from furniture and handicrafts to a bamboo gazebo. A traditionally designed bamboo sofa was sold for Rp 750,000, while various handicrafts went for between Rp 20,000 and Rp 300,000 a piece.

West Java province represented by Bandung and Tasikmalaya displayed a myriad of household utensils and intriguing handicrafts like bamboo baskets, fans, sandals, handbags and interior ornaments such as table lamps and bamboo curtains. It also displayed traditional music instruments like the angklung, calung and bamboo flute.

Galeri 16 from Bandung displayed numerous artistic bamboo items and bamboo paintings. Another participant, PT Sinar Bogor, made impressive experiments with bamboo. The company, in cooperation with the Bogor Agriculture Institute, has developed bamboo into a large variety of building materials such as bamboo flooring, panels, canopy, sliding doors and kitchen sets.

C.V. Seni Bambu Mo-Ha from Jakarta presented a blend of traditional and contemporary designed products ranging from a bedroom set to beautiful console tables.

"I tried to incorporate traditional and contemporary designs to meet with market demand. But it is a risky business. Not many people like bamboo materials," said Sharifah.

In general, the exhibition was far from alluring. Only a few participants took part in the event, designed to promote bamboo.

A representative from West Sumatra province said that most members of the bamboo society do not have adequate funds to transport their products to Jakarta. Others did not have appropriate items to be displayed at the exhibition.

Abraham Wibisono, chairman of the Central Java branch of the society, said that all the displayed products were made by small- scale artisans.

"Bamboo products from Indonesia are mostly handmade and have not become an integrated industry because people were only aware of the economic potency of this material a few years ago," Wibisono said.

Bamboo, he said, has high economic value. Like wood, bamboo is hard and durable. The use of bamboo as a building material in Indonesia and other Asian countries like China and Japan is sensible since it is abundant, locally available and has a low- thermal mass so that minimal heat is transmitted into the building. Bamboo is also commonly used for construction because it is widely available and easily replenished.

Elizabeth Wijaya revealed in her book that bamboo has both commercial and environmental value. Apart from its function as a construction material and household utensil, bamboo's long fibers are an excellent ingredient for paper pulp, once developed in Banyuwangi, East Java and Goa, South Sulawesi.

Bamboo shoots are widely consumed by people in Japan, China, Taiwan, Thailand and Indonesia. Japan needs approximately 200,000 tons of bamboo shoots a year, while Taiwanese consume an average 80,000 tons of bamboo shoots annually.

The growing demand of bamboo shoots is based on the scientific fact that these foods contain high nutritious and medicinal value. A recent study revealed that yellow bamboo shoots have the potency to cure cancer-related diseases and cure liver problems.

In addition to its economic benefits, bamboo plays a significant role in environmental conservation. Bamboo is often used in watershed management and regreening programs.

"We have to use material that is practical and responds to the environment and the climate. Bamboo is the best solution. We have abundant kinds of bamboo growing in every part of the country," Wibisono said.

There are about 1,200 bamboo species in the world and Indonesia has about 62 species.

"What we lack now is cultivation and harvesting technology, production and marketing know-how as well as design development," added Wibisono.

Currently, the society and its 16 members are trying to develop a strong network that will enable each member to improve their production and management skills.

"Now, we concentrate on establishing training centers in each province of Indonesia. We also try hard to create and find markets for our products. It is not economical to produce a lot of things while we don't have a market," he said.

Domestic and international markets are the society's target.

"Domestically, we have a promising market as the need for bamboo and other natural products are increasing. In the international market, we have to compete with China, Japan and Thailand which are more advanced in terms of technology and design," he said.