Improved bamboo varieties provide a renewable supply of quality materials for

Haiti's construction and handicraft needs. Bamboo is also a useful tool to counter soil
erosion on hillsides and ravines.
A Bamboo program is born
In the past four or five years, ORE has been pushing a program to introduce and
mass-propagate high quality bamboo cultivars suitable for building and handicrafts.
Improved bamboo varieties are one of the most suitable plant materials to combat the
current exponential increase in hillside soil erosion, particularly for the control of
ravines, and provide a renewable supply of material for commercial use. hey are also
a viable substitute for the local building industry!s insatiable demand for post wood "
a ma#or cause of deforestation in the country. In $%%%, &artners of the 'mericas and
the &eace (orps in )aiti helped organi*e the assistance of a bamboo expert from
)awaii who made several trips to )aiti to provide training and help us get started. )e
brought twelve selected varieties generously donated by the +uindembo ,ursery in
)awaii, adding to the collection previously introduced by ORE from &uerto Rico and
-lorida. he $. new varieties were established at a propagation site in (amp &errin.
&ropagation by root division and branch cuttings under mist spray have been used to
increase the initial stoc/ of $01 to over $.,111 plants. hese fast-growing varieties
quic/ly offer protection against soil erosion in ravines and on denuded hillsides, and
improve the ecological conditions of watersheds, protecting the environment as well
as supplying useful materials for the local population.
Every year thousands of these high quality cultivars produced
in our nursery (above left) are being distributed to farmers.
arieties such as !uadua "hacoensis are e#cellent for the protection of river ban$s% ravines
and the springs of the watersheds.
2ocal bamboo is used to build homes in certain areas of the country, but due to rapid
infestation by mites this material is not durable. Improved varieties such as 3uadua
angustofolia produce culms 4 inches in diameter and $11 feet long. In (olombia they
are used for house construction and are considered as durable as hard woods. he new
varieties will be a tremendous asset to rural communities of )aiti. ORE is currently
wor/ing primarily with the following varieties5 6ambusa 6urmanica, 6. Edulis,
7endrocalamus 3iganteus, 7. 8embranaceus, 3igantichloa 'lbociliata, 3uadua
'ngustofolia 6icolor, 3uadua (hacoensis and hysosctachys 9iamensis.
&ew bamboo varieties% such as !uadua "hacoensis% will provide more permanent building materials%
and
can replace the vast quantities of post'wood used for scaffolding.