Read at :
http://www.new-ag.info/en/news/newsitem.php?a=2215
Farmers reap benefits from bamboo
Tobacco farmers in Western Kenya are abandoning the crop in favour of growing bamboo after working with Maseno University’s School of Environment and Earth Studies. The farmers, mainly from South Nyanza province, have been involved in the University’s ‘Tobacco to Bamboo’ project, encouraging the cultivation and utilisation of bamboo as an alternative to tobacco production, which has degraded the area through the need for fuel wood to cure and dry tobacco leaves.
Farmers involved in the project have stated that tobacco production has led to increased poverty in the region, caused by high demand for fuel wood, exposure to toxic substances leading to serious health issues, and high labour demands which often require the whole family to be engaged in production.
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