Bamboo Resources Utilization: A Potential Source of Income to Support Rural Livelihoods

Sythud Phimmachanh^1, , Zhang Ying¹ and Mukete Beckline²

¹School of Economics and Management, Beijing Forestry University, Qinghua Donglu, Haidian District, Beijing, China

²Department of Forest Management, Beijing Forestry University, Qinghua Donglu, Haidian District, Beijing, China

Cite this paper:
Sythud Phimmachanh, Zhang Ying and Mukete Beckline. Bamboo Resources Utilization: A Potential Source of Income to Support Rural Livelihoods. Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences. 2015; 3(6):176-183. doi: 10.12691/aees-3-6-3

Abstract

In this paper, we examine the potential of bamboo as a source of income and better livelihood for rural communities. We look at the importance of bamboo from a global perspective with special attention to its economic, social and ecological values. Using this approach, we observed that, bamboo is very ubiquitous, has a global presence and it is used for various purposes from toothpicks to dresses and construction of houses. We also found that, it is a lucrative business from which rural people with the proper and adequate skills and market value chains, could adopt to come out of the poverty trap.

Keywords:
Bamboo rural communities livelihood poverty biodiversity forests

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