Over a period of 12 years, GRET supported the emergence of a common around the bamboo resource in Houaphanh province, in Laos.
Houaphanh province, one of the poorest regions in Laos, has more than 526,000 hectares of natural bamboo forests. At the beginning of the 2000s, these forests were threatened by the expansion of maize crops, mining activities and land-grabbing.
GRET began to provide support to this province in 2009. The unexploited potential of this “green gold” and the strong motivation of rural communities were highly encouraging elements. The objective was to minimise over-exploitation of bamboo resources and strengthen recognition of villagers’ rights and capacities in their forests.
A commons-based approach to conserve bamboo locally
In this case, the commons-based approach combines an approach based on the territory (the bamboo forest) and on value chains. This approach provides a means to ensure better participation of local populations in decisions on forests. The idea is to think about the role local stakeholders can have in dealing with social and ecological threats. For GRET, the commons correspond to a dynamic. It is the way in which a group of individuals becomes collectively organised to conserve common goods on which they depend. In this case, the objective is to drive this dynamic for bamboo. This is achieved through a mode of governance involving local populations in actions conducted by the State and by private stakeholders.
GRET encouraged farmers’ organisations and local populations to participate in community-based management of bamboo forests, by taking a multi-stakeholder approach. It supported the emergence of a local association called the Bamboo and Non-Timber Forest Product Development Association – BNDA. The latter acts as a facilitator for sustainable management of forests and development of the bamboo value chain in Houaphanh. It is also the first civil society organisation that was set up in this province.
GRET supported five sustainable bamboo and rattan value chains based on diversity of species. Each value chain has its own seasonal calendar, market and production organisation.
In parallel to supporting the civil society organisation, GRET contributed to developing the institutional framework. This was done with a view to greater inclusion of villagers in public policies. For example, a 2016-2020 provincial strategy to develop the bamboo value chain was adopted in Houaphanh. This strategy enabled the emergence of political conditions that were more favourable to the dynamic underway.
“Before the Bamboo programme started in our village in 2012, we had no rules to ensure the forest was exploited sustainably. Today, we know that this is the case, because we have rules for ourselves and for people from outside, and we study the forest every year to ensure it regenerates. In addition, with the sale of bamboo we earn more than eight million kips per year. This money is used as working capital for the village members”. Seu Her, head of the Ban Houaymeuang bamboo producers’ group
The last bamboo project ended in 2021. Since then, the local BNDA association took over the role of commons facilitator, with low-level support from the GRET teams. GRET and the BNDA are looking for financial support to consolidate the dynamic underway in the province and to extend it at national level.
Given the positive results, GRET supported the development of a national strategy for bamboo and rattan value chains in Laos. This strategy has a dual objective: to fight against poverty and ensure sustainable management of natural resources.
Laos: management of bamboo forests for better living conditions (short version)
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