BAMBOO USES; HISTORICAL
It is also
DEVELOPMENT AND
INDUSTRIALIZATION
Bamboo Uses; Historical Development
 The oldest dated use of bamboo
was in China, it was used as a
weapon, construction, weaving, and
as a paper.
 During 12,000 – 2,000 BC bamboo
uses were found throughout Asian
countries to make chopsticks and
other eating utensils and as a part of
the human diet.
 During 16th – 17th BC, bamboo
were used as weapons for hunting
purposes and people also started
using it as household items and for
the structure as well.
 The Duijang Dam and Irrigation
System was built in China in 256
BC. The levee portion of the
structure was constructed using
long, sausage-shaped baskets of
woven bamboo filled with stones.
 During this time, bamboos are used
for all almost all kinds of items
essential for living. It was used for
firewood, tiles, paper, rafts, clothing,
and much more.
 Bamboo was used in kendo as a
practice sword called “Shinai”. It is
also used as the body for a bicycle
in Germany.
 Bamboos are used widely as a
cooking utensil and as a food
source.
 In agriculture bamboos can be used
as an irrigation system, it can reduce
leaching, control soil erosion and the
growth of weeds.
 Bamboo greenhouses are more
favored in tropics because a
bamboo greenhouse is much more
economical to build, operate and
maintain compared to conventional
steel framed greenhouses.
used as support sticks and as a
beehive.
 Bamboos, for its sturdiness was
used greatly as a weapon. It can be
used as a bow and arrow and as a
spear. Bamboos are also used as
the first prototype of gun.
 Bamboos for its hallow insides are
often used as an instrument all over
the world. Examples are clackers,
flutes, and xylophones.
 In China and Japan, thin strips of
bamboos were woven together into
hats and shoes, usually associated
with rural life.
 Bamboo as a building material are
often used for bridges, construction
of scaffolding, and different parts of
the structure.
 Bamboos are flexible and can be
formed and bended to desired
shapes. Squared bamboos are
obtained by compressing the stalk of
bamboos within a square mold.
Curved or flat bamboos are
achieved through traditional
techniques like applying heat and
pressure. Arched shapes by
compressing the bamboos growth
into desired shapes.
 Bamboos can also be used for
foundations, some of the techniques
are: Bamboos in direct contact with
the ground, bamboos in preformed
concrete footings, bamboos
incorporated in concrete footings, or
bamboo piles.
 Bamboos can also be used as walls
or partitions. It can be used as a
woven wall, whole, or halved.
 Bamboos can be used as roofing
and flooring materials as well.
Industrialization importance of bamboo being an
important means of economic
 Over 2.2 billion people the world growth and of improving the socio-
over are dependent on bamboo and economic conditions of the rural
its related industries for income, poor. Bamboo as an industrial
food, and housing. Although the material can substitute wood to a
rural communities have traditionally great extent and that too at low cost.
been using bamboo, the utilization
has been highly localized as Contribution of world bamboo
bamboo has often been viewed as resources by continent
an inferior substitute of timber.
Asia – 65%
 Yet, bamboo, as noted, has versatile
uses as building material, paper pulp America – 28%
resource, scaffolding, agriculture
implements, weaving material, Africa – 7%
plywood and particle board Countries with the largest bamboo
manufacture, basketry, furniture, resources
pickled or stewed bamboo shoots,
medicines, etc. India – 30%
 New industrial applications and China – 14%
modern construction design have
both demonstrated bamboo's huge Indonesia – 5%
potential, but the bamboo sector in
Ecuador – 4%
China is the one reported to be the
most thriving. Myanmar – 2%
 The biggest impediment towards a
bamboo based sector from Vietnam – 2%
developing has been the irregular Others – 43%
and scant supply of bamboo for
entrepreneurial use.
 An efficient regulatory institution is
essential for markets to grow in a
sustainable manner, especially
where environment concerns are
coupled with business development.
Transaction costs must be minimal,
information availability maximal with
a clear focus on maintaining the
forest cover.
 Clearly the expansion of a bamboo
based sector has not happened due
to the restrictions in place. If the
restrictions are removed, the sector
still might not grow, but can impact
livelihood benefits percolating down.
 There has been a growing
awareness in recent years about the