The Bamboo Nexus: Review of Environmental, Economic, and Social Benefits for Sustainable Development

Rusha Begna Wakweya and Rorisa Midekso Ware
Additional contact information
Rusha Begna Wakweya: Ethiopian Forestry Development, Jimma Center, Ethiopia
Rorisa Midekso Ware: Ethiopian Forestry Development, Dire-Dawa Center, Ethiopia

Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development Studies, 2026, issue 2, 140-153

Abstract: Ethiopia possesses the largest bamboo resource in Africa, primarily the highland bamboo (Yushania alpina) and lowland bamboo (Oxytenanthera abyssinica). This review synthesizes empirical evidence from the past five years (2000-2025) to analyse the interconnected environmental, economic, and social benefits the "Bamboo Nexus" and evaluates its realized and potential contribution to Ethiopia's sustainable development. Findings reveal a significant paradox: despite abundant natural stock and well-documented ecological benefits (soil erosion control, carbon sequestration, watershed protection), socioeconomic utilization remains sub-optimal, informal, and spatially fragmented. Economically, bamboo provides critical supplemental income, contributing 11-38% of annual cash for households in key growing regions, yet value chains are underdeveloped, dominated by raw pole production. Socially, bamboo supports livelihoods, fuel, and construction, but lacks integration into formal green job strategies. We argue that leveraging the Bamboo Nexus requires an integrated, systemic approach moving beyond subsistence use towards a strategic, climate-smart bio economy. This review proposes a consolidated framework for action, positioning bamboo as a cross-cutting pillar for achieving Ethiopia's Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) strategy, promoting rural industrialization, and fulfilling Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1 (No Poverty), 8 (Decent Work), 12 (Responsible Consumption), and 13 (Climate Action).

Keywords: Bamboo; Ethiopia; Sustainable Development; Bio economy; Livelihoods; Climate Resilience; Value Chain; Nexus Approach (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.jards.ugal.ro/images/jards/journal/2026_2/Wakweya_ey_al.pdf (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ddj:ejards:y:2026:i:2:p:140-153

DOI: 10.35219/jards.2026.2.10

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development Studies from "Dunarea de Jos" University of Galati, Doctoral Field Engineering and Management in Agriculture and Rural Development Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Gianina Mihai ().