By Witness Radio team.
Experts in environmental conservation, together with bamboo farmers and sector stakeholders, are pushing for the formulation of a National Bamboo Policy to strengthen the promotion of bamboo businesses and enhance Uganda’s efforts to combat climate change.
They argue that the policy would not only contribute to climate mitigation but also support employment, coordination, investment, and industrialization within the sector, fostering hope and confidence in Uganda’s sustainable future.
Experts emphasize that bamboo is a key species for restoration and sustainable development, especially as Uganda recovers from severe forest loss, which has reduced forest cover from 24% in the 1990s to 12.6% in 2023, inspiring pride in the country’s potential for environmental recovery.
Currently, Bamboo Uganda is implementing a 2024–2030 roadmap to increase the number of bamboo farmers from 500 to 5,000, expand plantations from 1,000 to 10,000 acres, and raise domestic revenue from USD 250,000 to USD 5 million, underscoring the economic potential of bamboo.
Bamboo, according to experts, protects biodiversity, preserves soil and water, and slows down climate change, reinforcing its vital role in Uganda’s climate commitments under the Paris Agreement.
Under the theme “From Strategy to Policy: Uniting Voices for a Sustainable Bamboo Future,” stakeholders in Uganda, in collaboration with Bamboo Uganda, are developing a national policy to address the country’s growing climate risks.
According to Global Forest Watch (GFW), Uganda lost 1.2 million hectares of tree cover between 2001 and 2024, representing a 15% decline from the 2000 baseline. Bamboo has been identified as a key species for restoration, and the government’s 10-year Bamboo Strategy (2019–2030) targets the planting of 2.5 million hectares of bamboo.
Ms. Susan Kaikara, from the Ministry of Water and Environment, emphasized bamboo’s potential to drive Uganda’s green-growth agenda.
“Establishing a coherent national policy framework will strengthen coordination, inspire investment, and unlock bamboo’s full potential as a pillar of Uganda’s green economy,” she said.
Sources said that with the ongoing electoral period, the policy process will be finalized by the new government, which will assume power after swearing in around May 2026.
The economic potential of bamboo farming is increasingly recognized as a profitable and sustainable enterprise in Uganda. Its versatility and adaptability across diverse soils and climates make it an attractive opportunity for green growth, encouraging optimism among farmers and investors.
The International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR), an intergovernmental development organization that promotes environmentally sustainable development through bamboo and rattan, notes that bamboo sequesters carbon at rates comparable to those of many tree species and can help replace fossil fuels. Bamboo biomass can be used to produce charcoal, briquettes, gasification products, and energy pellets, offering a renewable alternative that reduces deforestation and provides cleaner energy options for households.
Despite these benefits, policy gaps remain. Mr. Andrew Kalema, a bamboo farmer, noted: “We need to assess how much of the 2019 targets have been achieved and what remains to be done. Today, we have over 1,000 bamboo nurseries across the country, up from just 10, which shows encouraging progress, but policy gaps still hold us back.”
Stakeholders believe that a clear national policy will help unlock bamboo’s full potential as a driver of job creation, green enterprises, environmental restoration, and improved livelihoods for both youth and rural communities.
