第2159a期:Bamboo Sees Growing Interest in Uganda

Bamboo farming is on the rise in Uganda. The strong and fast-growing crop is seen by the East African government as having real growth possibility. 

乌干达的竹子种植业正在兴起。 东非政府认为这种强劲且快速生长的作物具有真正的增长潜力。 

Along a 3-kilometer stretch of the river Rwizi, environment protection officers recently planted new bamboo seedlings and cleared room for last year's survivors to grow. 

最近，环保官员沿着鲁维济河 3 公里长的河段种植了新的竹苗，并为去年的幸存者清理了生长空间。 

The river Rwizi is the most important river in western Uganda that includes the major city of Mbarara. A successful bamboo forest would protect the river against sand miners, farmers and others whose activities have long threatened it. 

鲁维济河是乌干达西部最重要的河流，包括主要城市姆巴拉拉。 成功的竹林将保护河流免受采砂者、农民和其他人的活动长期威胁河流的侵害。 

The National Environment Management Authority estimates that the Rwizi has lost 60 percent of its water collection area over many years. In some areas the river runs as narrow as a stream. 

国家环境管理局估计，多年来，鲁维济河已经失去了 60% 的集水面积。 在某些地区，河流像小溪一样狭窄。 

“Once bamboo is established, it is almost like a net," said Jeconious Musingwire. He is an environment officer who was the project's technical advisor. “The roots trap everything, including the surface runoff, and stabilize the weaknesses of the banks.” 

“竹子一旦扎起来，就几乎像一张网，”杰科尼奥斯·穆辛维尔（Jeconious Musingwire）说。他是一名环境官员，也是该项目的技术顾问。“根部捕获了一切，包括地表径流，并稳定了堤岸的弱点。” 

In Uganda, bamboo can be burned for fuel in rural communities, taking pressure off shrinking forests of eucalyptus and other natural resources. It is a strong plant that can grow almost anywhere. And businesses can turn it into products ranging from furniture to toothpicks. 

在乌干达，竹子可以在农村社区燃烧作为燃料，减轻桉树林和其他自然资源萎缩的压力。 它是一种强壮的植物，几乎可以在任何地方生长。 企业可以将其转化为从家具到牙签等各种产品。

Some of the bamboo species grown in Uganda are imported from Asia. But many grow wild. One kind has shoots that are smoked and then boiled to make a popular traditional meal in eastern Uganda. 

乌干达种植的一些竹子品种是从亚洲进口的。 但许多都是野生的。 其中一种是用烟熏然后煮沸的嫩芽制成乌干达东部流行的传统膳食。 

The Ugandan government has set a 10-year policy that calls for planting 300,000 hectares of bamboo. Most of it will be grown on private land by 2029 as part of wider reforestation efforts. 

乌干达政府制定了一项为期10年的政策，要求种植30万公顷竹子。 到 2029 年，作为更广泛的重新造林工作的一部分，其中大部分将在私人土地上种植。 

That is a high target. The Uganda Bamboo Association, the largest such group with 340 members, has planted only 500 hectares. Even with growing interest in bamboo farming, officials will have to push more farmers in rural parts of Uganda to plant large areas of land with bamboo. 

这是一个很高的目标。 乌干达竹子协会是最大的竹子协会，拥有 340 名成员，但种植面积仅为 500 公顷。 即使人们对竹子种植的兴趣日益浓厚，官员们仍不得不推动乌干达农村地区更多的农民种植大片竹子。 

A single bamboo pole brings in a little less than a dollar, so farmers need to grow a lot to earn enough. Bamboo promoters are urging them to see a bamboo plantation as the same kind of money-making crop as coffee or tea. Banks are offering bamboo “plantation capital” loans that promise ownership of large forests of bamboo. 

一根竹竿的收入不到一美元，因此农民需要大量种植竹竿才能赚到足够的钱。 竹子推广者敦促他们将竹子种植园视为与咖啡或茶一样的赚钱作物。 银行提供竹子“种植园资本”贷款，承诺拥有大片竹林。 

Bamboo plants are normally ready for harvesting in three to five years. A well-maintained plantation can be useful for at least 50 years, said Jacob Ogola, a crop production expert working with the large Kitara Farm. He said bamboo is easy to manage, and usually does not need spraying for pests. 

竹子通常在三到五年内即可收获。 大型基塔拉农场的农作物生产专家雅各布·奥戈拉 (Jacob Ogola) 表示，维护良好的种植园至少可以使用 50 年。 他说，竹子易于管理，通常不需要喷药防治害虫。 

Still, Uganda’s bamboo plantations are not growing fast enough to build an industry around the plant. 

尽管如此，乌干达的竹子种植园增长速度还不够快，无法围绕竹子建立产业。 

Steve Tusiime owns a bamboo nursery. It has sold fewer than 10,000 seedlings in the past two years. But, Tusiime said, “Bamboo is going to be a game changer in Africa. You can eat bamboo, you can use it to build, you can create an industry for bamboo, you can feed it to your animals, and it can take care of your land.” 

史蒂夫·图西梅 (Steve Tusiime) 拥有一个竹子苗圃。 过去两年，它售出了不到10,000株树苗。 但是，Tusiime 说：“竹子将改变非洲的游戏规则。 你可以吃竹子，你可以用它来建造，你可以创造竹子产业，你可以用竹子喂养你的动物，它可以照顾你的土地。”