On 2^nd June, 2011, Prosperity Initiative (PI), supported by HADEVA (PI’s local partner) and the Yen Bai Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, are jointly organizing a Bamboo Shoots Workshop in Yen Bai city.

The objectives of this workshop are (1) to learn lessons from Yen Bai’s successful bamboo shoots plantation programme (2) to share the success factors for other districts in Yen Bai to benefit from (3) to create sustainable development of bamboo shoots industry in Yen Bai and define the way ahead.

The Yen Bai Bamboo Shoots Workshop will discuss various development and management issues. Participants from various fields will attend.  The provincial and district authorities; Provincial People’s Committee, Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, Department of Industry and Trade, Department of Science and Technology will be joined by participants from various communes including representative farmers, businesses, trade organizations and NGOs.  The Yen Bai bamboo shoots workshop is hoped to increasing awareness amongst the stakeholders of the market opportunities of the bamboo shoots sector and contribute to its sustainable development in the future.

On 12 and 13 May, Prosperity Initiative will organize one study tour to Thanh Hoa for 40 representatives of 15 bamboo farmer groups of Mai Chau district, Hoa Binh province.

Sites that the delegation will visit are all in Thanh Hoa. The farmers from Mai Chau, Hoa Binh will visit one nursery garden in Ngoc Lac town, Ngoc Lac district, and then visit one luong rehabilitation model and one luong pre-processing workshop in Xuan Phu commune, Quan Hoa district.

The aim of the trip is (1) to provide study tour members with the technical knowledge and practical experience of the Luong forest rehabilitation and concentrated nursery garden development; (2) to sharpen the study tour members’ confidence in the impacts of the forest management and rehabilitation practices and income increases; and (3) to help study tour members identify their own opportunities and challenges in comparison with other localities.

The visited sites were carefully chosen to fit with many criteria. Prosperity Initiative requires the place to have positive achievement in terms of the forest quality and income, continuity of the intervention after the project finished and being enthusiastic in sharing their experience with visitors

This study tour is one among many other activities that Prosperity Initiative is doing with farmers to ensure a sustainable bamboo resource. Follow the study tour is one seminar which will enhance the knowledge of the farmer’s on the quality demand of the bamboo, the trend for development of bamboo in domestic and international market as well as high quality products in daily life.

Press Release.

On April 20, 2011 Prosperity Initiative, HADEVA and Tan Mai Commune organize a seedling ceremony.

The project area covers 100 ha for new bamboo ( Luong ) plantation with 40,000 seedling for around 300 households. All seedling are free of charge from Prosperity Initiative. The organization also opens technical training course for all household in the project.

The aim of the project is rehabilitation of degrade of existing bamboo forest, in order to improve the quality of bamboo forest that can bring more income of bamboo household as well as to improve the skill of household  in bamboo cultivation and bamboo harvesting.

Prosperity Initiative has completed a new and improved Pressed Bamboo Prospectus. This revised version provides more detailed and up to date information about an investment in pressed bamboo, including market analysis, product specification and applications, manufacturing process, financial performance and impact on poverty reduction.

Pressed bamboo is a high-value product that represents a critical breakthrough for the bamboo industry. Currently being manufactured mainly in China, the global market for pressed bamboo as a cheaper, more sustainable and stronger alternative to many traditional hardwoods is vast. The world is facing a worsening shortage of hardwood supply compared to growing demand. At the same time, world consumers are shifting demand towards renewable materials and environmentally-friendly products. Pressed bamboo block is therefore a key product that could transform the traditional bamboo sector into a high value industry that competes for market share of the multi-billion dollar global wood industry.

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Press Release.

Hanoi, 22^nd November, 2010

“National Bamboo and Rattan Policy Development in Vietnam Conference”:  progressing the Bamboo and Rattan Industry.

Prosperity Initiative in coordination with the Department of Processing and Trade for Agro-Forestry-Fisheries Products and Salt production (DPT), under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD), have jointly organized the “National Bamboo and Rattan Policy Development in Vietnam” Conference in Hanoi, held on the 22^nd November, 2010.

The aim of the conference was to review and debate the current status and opportunities of the Bamboo and Rattan sector in Vietnam, in order to provide inputs to the Prime Minister’s Policy Decision and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development’s first National Bamboo and Rattan Master Plan