Project Details

Bamboo Value Chain Enterprise Development Project

The untapped potential of bamboo to tackle poverty

This project aims to boost the bamboo value chain in Malawi, equipping small-scale producers to break into a $70bn global market Growing opportunities. As the world wakes up to the need to reduce plastic waste, the market for bamboo is soaring. This project advances bamboo production and processing as a viable livelihood for people living in poverty, with boundless potential to scale up.

Agriculture is Malawi’s main industry, making it extremely vulnerable to climate change impacts. Farmers grow crops for both food and income, with tobacco being the biggest export. But tobacco farming is a leading cause of deforestation, and the global market is shrinking. Bamboo has immense potential as a profitable, sustainable and climate-resilient alternative, providing the opportunity for producers to add value and earn more by crafting a wide range of bamboo products, from furniture to jewellery.

Building on learning from the comprehensive phase one feasibility study, which mapped out the full range of market blockers and opportunities, the delivery phase of this project will empower thousands of farmers and artisans to enter and thrive in the bamboo value chain, equipping them to lift their families out of poverty. It will also strengthen the emerging national bamboo sector, laying the foundations for long-term pro-poor growth

‘The bamboo value chain has huge potential. Engaging in this currently untapped market offers unemployed but motivated young people the opportunity to increase their income and provides real hope for their future.’ Robert Thindwa, Economic Justice Specialist, Malawi


Click here to download Project FactSheet

  • Category: Finance
  • Location: Lilongwe, Dowa and Salima
  • Partners: Christian Aid, GL & Local Artisanal Businesses
  • Project Status: Current/Ongoing
  • Date: 10 Dec 2024

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