International Network for Bamboo and Rattan

The International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR ^[2]) is an independent intergovernmental organization ^[3] established in 1997 to develop and promote innovative solutions to poverty and environmental sustainability using bamboo and rattan. ^[4]

INBAR is a member of Association of International Research and Development Centers for Agriculture (AIRCA).

History

INBAR evolved from an informal network of bamboo and rattan researchers set up in 1984 by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) of Canada. In 1993 the network was formalized under its present name, but remained a project of IDRC. Work to launch INBAR as an independent organization started in 1995, and was completed in 1997 when INBAR became an independent organization with its headquarters in Beijing, China – the first intergovernmental organization to be headquartered in the People's Republic.

Membership and structure

Membership of INBAR is open to member states of the United Nations and to intergovernmental organizations. INBAR currently has 41 member countries. INBAR's supreme governing body is the Council of representatives of its member countries which meets biennially. The Board of Trustees is the second tier of governance, and develops appropriate policies, oversees management and ensures efficient operations at its annual meetings. The Director General is a member of the Board of Trustees, and is responsible for day-to-day running of the organization. The current Director General is Dr. Hans Friederich.

INBAR's secretariat is in Beijing, China and it has regional offices for East and Southeast Asia (Beijing, China), South Asia (New Delhi, India), East Africa (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), West Africa (Kumasi, Ghana) and Latin America and the Caribbean (Quito, Ecuador). INBAR is managed by its Executive Management team, which comprises the Director General, Deputy Director General, Treasurer, and the Directors of Membership, Programmes, and Communications and Outreach.

Operation

INBAR works in partnership with other international and multilateral organizations to help build mutual capacity and increase the sustainability of the results of its work. Major international partners are the International Fund for Agricultural Development; the Common Fund for Commodities; the European Commission. Major bilateral partners are INBAR’s member country governments, including agencies such as the State Forestry Administration, China, and the International Development Research Centre, Canada. INBAR also partners with commercial companies such as Citi (China) to develop Public-Private Partnerships.

INBAR works on field projects with a wide range of local and national organizations such as the Tripura Bamboo and Cane Development Centre (India); the Konkan Bamboo and Cane Development Centre (India); Forest Research Institute of Ghana ; Kenya Forest Research Institute ; Federal Micro and Small Enterprises Development Agency (FeMSEDA), Ethiopia; CEDERENA, Ecuador; Sacha Urku , Ecuador; CIPAP, Peru; Hogar de Cristo Ecuador; RECOFT; Nanjing Forestry University , China; Mozbambu , Mozambique.

INBAR aims to foster informed debate on matters that affect the development of bamboo and rattan in it member countries, and has been emphasizing support for appropriate policy development in its member countries and beyond. INBAR delivers a series of technical training and awareness courses each year, and produces a wide ranging series of online publications on a broad range of bamboo and rattan-related issues.

Bamboo and rattan for poverty alleviation

Bamboo is easy to grow and can be harvested annually from about the fourth year after planting. The hollow stems are light, easy to handle and can be split with a large knife. There are many stages of processing between raw material and finished product, and much of the processing can be done by the communities that grow and harvest the bamboo, so a large proportion of the value addition can be retained with them. As a source of soft wood, bamboo can complement/substitute for timber wood, and help reduce forest destruction. Many new bamboo products, and the technologies for producing them, have been developed over the past thirty years, for example laminated boards, textiles and modern housing, and more are being innovated.

Rattans are spiny climbing palms, and have a long history of use in furniture which has been sold throughout the world for centuries. Rattans grows in tropical rainforests and have been subject to considerable over-harvesting, resulting in greatly increased prices for raw cane, and limiting the opportunities for processors. As with bamboo, processing rattan involves many stages which can be done within the communities, but the range of products that can be produced is more limited, so innovations in design and quality of existing product groups (furniture, handicrafts) is often more important for developing livelihoods and expanding sales into new markets.

See also

• Poverty alleviation
• Sustainable Development
• Forestry
• Bamboo
• Rattan
• Intergovernmental organizations in China

References

1. ↑ William Nikolakis, John Innes. Forests and Globalization: Challenges and Opportunities for Sustainable Development The Earthscan Forest Library. Routledge, 2014. ISBN 1317660730. Page 173.
2. ↑ Eva Wollenberg, Andrew Ingles. Incomes from the Forest: Methods for the Development and Conservation of Forest Products for Local Communities. CIFOR, 1998. ISBN 9798764196. Page 58.
3. ↑ "Management and Utilization of Bamboo and Rattan in Papua New Guinea". Retrieved December 8, 2015. 
4. ↑ "This is INBAR". Retrieved December 8, 2015. 

External links

• Association of International Research and Development Centers for Agriculture (AIRCA)