The Bamboo and Rattan Sectors in Asia: an Analysis of ... - INBAR

as industries develop, there is a tendency to increase investments in technology, with
increasing mechanization, and in higher-skilled labor. These issues are important in
terms of income and employment generation. They also need to be considered in
terms of quality management, where mechanized processing permits better quality,
reduced waste, increased processing efficiency and increased throughput.
Attention is also needed to the opportunities for and implications of
intensification at the raw material production stage. This is particularly important in
dealing with forest products like bamboo and rattan. Forest products may be grown
within a broad range of ecosystems, from natural forests that are virtually undisturbed
to high-intensity plantation-based production systems. The production intensity
selected for raw material production in the forest sector has enormous conservation
implications. Within low-intensity systems, such as extractive systems and complex
agro-forestry systems, ecosystem functions similar to those found in undisturbed
forests can be maintained (see, for example, Michon et al. 1994, Gouyon et al. 1993).
High levels of biodiversity can be conserved and the requirements for pest control,
soil maintenance and irrigation are low. Increasing the production intensity for a
particular crop involves environmental and biological manipulation and disturbance.
As the management inputs are increased the system becomes more like an agricultural
system, with higher densities and higher proportion of total biomass of desired species,
deliberate reduction of undesirable ('weed') species and, perhaps, fertilizer and
pesticide inputs. Higher production of desired species is achieved at the cost of
reduced biodiversity and ecosystem functions within the growing area.
Whether from a project perspective or a broader policy perspective, it is important
to consider alternative raw material production opportunities. By manipulating the
environment of the desired plant (or animal) or the organism itself (selection, breeding,
genetic engineering), it may be possible to increase production within a given area.
A wide range of options is available. It is possible to intensify the management of the
raw material within the forest ecosystem. Forest product collectors might plant seeds
(enrichment planting), weed around desirable plants, or clear trees to provide gaps
in the forest canopy and the light needed by some plants to become established.
The third 'dimension', the horizontal dimension, refers to the scale of individual
firms at a particular transformation stage and the linkages between them. Firms
within an industry (defined as firms selling products or services that are close
substitutes in a common market 2 ) have a range of options available for interacting
within that industry. It is common to have informal relationships and some sharing
of information about each other's activities at all levels. At the raw material producer
level, news about prices and quality requirements from other villagers may be the
only source of information other than the trader. At higher levels in a system, industry
organizations offer more formalized forums for interaction, and often take on an
advocacy role as well. These kinds of horizontal linkages are important as means for
2 Modified from Haggblade 1984
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