Mekong Bamboo is a unique supply chain initiative and Prosperity Initiative's flagship programme.

Mekong Bamboo is a different type of value chain initiative. In recognition of the challenges of systemic change, it is long-term - our project cycle is to 2020, but we also measure short term quick wins. 21,000 people moved out of poverty in the NW Viet Nam Industrial Bamboo Market System in the first 2 years of work supporting its development.

Mekong Bamboo is a collaborative project with more than 20 government agencies, development organisations, private sector companies and NGOs working together from the local level to the policy level. Mekong Bamboo is market responsive and tasked with developing market systems that create new income and jobs from opportunities in specific bamboo subsectors to ensure large-scale and sustainable impact on poverty in Viet Nam, Lao PDR and Cambodia.

The objective of Mekong Bamboo is to reduce poverty by generating greater income and more jobs in the bamboo sector via:

• establishing diversified, demand-driven bamboo industries
• expanding and intensifying bamboo production by small-scale farmers to meet demand from expanding processing industries
• establishing sector policies beneficial to bamboo enterprises, farmers and workers

History

Mekong Bamboo: plans, priorities and progress (pdf, 236kb)

Industrial Bamboo in Northwest Vietnam and Northeast Lao PDR Concept Note (pdf, 625kb)
A concept note summarising Prosperity Initiative's understanding of the industry based on the past 3 years working with local and international businesses, farmers, government authorities and other agencies. The note sets out our rationale and priority actions for achieving measurable large-scale impact on poverty in the coming years, including estimates of the scale and scope of expected impacts and interim milestones against which to judge progress.

Mekong Bamboo Outlook #1

Mekong Bamboo Update - May 2009

Industrial Bamboo in Viet Nam: Realising the Potential
download (.mov, 08:48mn,140.7MB)
A look at how China became the leader in the global bamboo industry, and Viet Nam's potential in the Industrial Bamboo subsector.