Did you know that bamboo roots are able to store carbon sequestered from the atmosphere, well if you didn't here is how?

A mature bamboo plant is able to absorb carbon and release more than 30%-40% oxygen to the atmosphere than several mature trees combined. This makes it a carbon absorption sink and a source of clean fresh oxygen. All the greenhouse gasses emitted in the atmosphere absorbed by the leaves are then stored in the roots and biomass. Because of this, bamboo is an effective way of mitigating global warming. Bamboo is known for its ability to have a high survival rate in tropical climate areas. However, growing bamboo has been fully adopted by both native and urban societies. This is mainly because Bamboo as a plant has highly limited depletion of trees because of the number of clums a single shoot produces over the years. Majority of the beneficiaries of bamboo have resorted to using it as a fuel source and this in the long run controls the rate at which world's tree cover and natural forests are being misused or cut down.

As communities start adopting the use of bamboo, they will have unknowingly contributed to curbing the harsh effects of global warming that are as a result of deforestation.

If you are living in a partially plain land or are living in an area prone to erosion, think of bamboo as your next step to turning things around. Bamboo is one of the tree species that not only generate a livelihood benefit for people but also restores land. Bamboos have a great route system especially the giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper) that grips soil and this root network is able to control all aspects of erosion from landslides to floods through holding soil particles together and absorbing the excess water. Due to the very many leaves that come from the clumps, the broad thick leaves are able to reduce and minimize the impact on the soil during a heavy downpour.

This depends on the species but generally bamboo is used for construction, laminated boards, furniture, flooring, cutlery, and bamboo shoots like kamalea around mountain Elgon are a source of food, bamboo can also be used for cooking inform of bamboo charcoal / briquettes or firewood (especially Oxytenethra abyssinica).

During the first few weeks, water the plant regularly. Soak the soil and spray the leaves. Bamboo likes water but loves drainage. Water heavily but make sure that you are allowing your planting site time to drain between watering cycles. This time can vary depending upon time of year, soil composition, slope, etc.

Bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants in the world. This makes it particularly suitable as a tool for carbon sequestration. Given its fast growth rate, bamboo can be harvested regularly, creating a large number of durable products which store carbon over several years, in addition to the carbon stored in the plant itself. Over time, this means that bamboo can sequester more carbon than some tree plantations.

This is particularly important when bamboo’s potential to create durable products is taken into account. Industrial bamboo products, including flooring, decking, cladding, panels and beams, are long-lasting, recyclable, and can replace a variety of emissions-intensive materials, such as PVC, steel, aluminium and concrete. Due to their hardness, dimensional stability and aesthetic appearance, bamboo could also be a favourable substitute for hardwoods, even FSC-certified ones, in terms of carbon footprint and eco-costs.

Bamboo can also provide a sustainable source of bioenergy. It can be converted into charcoal or briquettes for cooking, or into gas or pellets for electricity and heat generation. Because it regrows quickly and matures faster than most types of tree, bamboo can provide a renewable alternative to timber fuel, on which many people around the world are still reliant for their cooking and heating. It can also provide an important source of biomass energy in countries with ambitious renewable energy targets, as a plant which grows on marginal soils and does not need to compete with agriculturally productive land.

Finally, bamboo and rattan can help communities and individuals adapt to the negative impacts of climate change: as a resilient housing material; as a nature-based tool to help prevent desertification; and as a sustainable, year-round source of livelihood for millions of people around the world. Self-replenishing, locally growing, and easy to process without the need for large machines or capital investment, bamboo offers rural communities more security in a changing climate.