Growth performance of bamboo in tobacco-growing regions in South Nyanza, Kenya

Due to copyright restrictions, this item cannot be sharedThe study was carried out in 120 field experimentation sites where 2420 bamboo cuttings were planted under the same tobacco-growing conditions in five different zones. Each farmer was given 20 bamboo cuttings: 10 each of giant bamboo (Dendrocalamus giganteus) and common bamboo (Bambusa vulgaris). Findings show that the two species can grow well in soil and agro-climatic conditions similar to those of tobacco. To replace tobacco with bamboo in Kenya, the experiment needs to be replicated in remaining tobacco-growing regions in the country. Capacity building through farmer empowerment, training, and in bamboo processing will be important