Rattan and Bamboo, Natural Fiber Product that people demand
KPL) Since 24th October, people from Vientiane are gathering in the Lao-ITECC Center to discover and enjoy the 8th handicraft festival organised by Lao National Chamber of Commerce. This year, rural handicraft producers from Vientiane and Houaphanh are selling quality and new products based on rattan and bamboo.
These producers are representatives of poor people whom depending on the forest for living, especially from Non-Timber Forest Product (NTFP).
Bamboo and rattan are one of the most important NTFP. Next to self-sustaining purpose (home consumption shoots, construction material), it has an additional economic / commercial value. The bamboo/rattan value chain has the potential to foster pro-poor economic growth.
SNV, WWF, GDG and EDC are working together for 3 years to provide the best supports to local producers to manage sustainably their bamboo and rattan resources through access to market as well as to be able to access these markets. Lao PDR is endowed with rich natural resources, with high level of rattan and bamboo species that are an opportunity for supporting the take off of rural economy.
From the WBCSD’s Business Role Focus Area Work Stream on Sustainable Consumption & Consumers, the current global consumption patterns are unsustainable. The consumers are increasingly concerned about environmental, social and economic issues, and increasingly willing to act on those concerns; however consumer willingness is not translating into sustainable consumer behaviour.
Within this context, SNV, WWF, GDG and EDC supports local producers to attend this Handicraft festival to allow them to show ad explain to consumers about the importance of buying products that are made from natural material managed in a sustainable manner and thus will keep the natural resource available for next generation as well as mitigation climate change impacts to local communities.
By buying natural made products, people are using the resources and so will conserve it. The challenges are to meet the demand and ensure sustainable management of these resources.
SNV Netherlands Development Organisations, in partnership with GDG aims to support production, income and employment opportunities through capacity development in smallholder agriculture, forestry products and tourism which are accessible to the poor. Within the forestry sector, SNV has selected the bamboo value chain as a priority sector with a good potential for improving income and employment opportunities for the poor families.
WWF with co-financing from the EC, is implementing a rattan project that has the aim to ensure rattan processing sector is sustainable, leading to environmental improvements, strengthened competitiveness, poverty alleviation and national economic benefits.
KPL Lao News Agency
