Bamboo: The Hidden Treasure

Wisma Shanti Dharma, 1-3 Juni 2012

People’s curiosity about bamboo will never end if they know that bamboo is like a buried treasure. It has many great benefits. The awareness of those bamboo’s great benefits is experienced by the participants of Bamboo Training Program Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta. Located on Wisma Shanti Dharma Yogyakarta, this training was held on June 1-3, 2012. With the theme: Bamboo, The Hidden Treasure, Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta gave participants awareness of the great bamboo’s potency.

The participants’ mind was opened by learning how the exploration of bamboo’s potency in Indonesia, the processing technology, and the making process of durable bamboo. They also got knowledge how to run a bamboo enterprise. Starting with the explanation about bamboo and its potency by Indra Setiadharma from “Sahabat Bambu” enterprise, the participants began to know many t bamboo varieties. Indra tried to open the participants’ insight about the various species of bamboo in Indonesia and other countries.

That learning process is more complete by inviting participants to go down to the field. On the second day of the training, the participants experienced an exposure to some places such as “Bambu Nusa Verde”, a bamboo cultivator in Pakem, Sleman, “Sahabat Bambu” in Kalasan, Sleman, “Kerajinan Bambu Karti Aji” in Toglengan, Sleman, and “Karya Manunggal”, a bamboo handicraft producer in Cebongan, Sleman. The participants were divided into two groups. The first group did the exposure to “Sahabat Bambu” and “Karya Manunggal”. The second group did the exposure to “Bambu Nusa Verde” and “Karti Aji”.

In Sahabat Bambu, the participants were learning how to make bamboo durable. Guided by Indra Setiadharma, they practiced one step to make bamboo durable by making  holes in bamboo before being filled with preservation substances.

Learning to run a bamboo business in “Karya Manunggal” inspired the participants to have an independent enterprise in bamboo industry sector. “Karya Manunggal” focuses its business in bamboo furniture. Sumarno, the owner of “Karya Manunggal” explained that his products have reached outside Java. Bamboo sort commonly used in the making of furniture is Apus (Gigantochloa apus), Petung (Dendrocalamus asper), Tutul (Bambusa vulgaris) and Wulung (Gigantochloa atroviolecea) bamboo.

The wish to have an independent enterprise in bamboo industry field is also experienced by the training participants after having exposure to “Karti Aji”.  “Karti Aji” is a well-known bamboo industry center in Yogyakarta started by a group of women who got training from Industrial Service DIY in 1986. Previously they are plaiting 'besek', a small container made of bamboo. After the training, this group began a bamboo industry group which further grew to be a bamboo industry center.

In Bambu Nusa Verde, the participants learned bamboo tissue method for bamboo cultivation as the corporation develops biotechnology technology supported by Oprins Plant, Belgium. Participants’ curiosity about efforts to preserve bamboo for environment was answered through discussion with Ir. Yustinus Suranto, M.Si (Forestry Faculty, Gajah Mada University). Participants learned more about  bamboo cultivation in the framework of environment preservation. Ir. Yustinus also explained the good location for bamboo planting. Besides in river flow area, bamboo planting location around rice field also gives positive effect for the soil fertility and water reserves.

Participants’ insight about bamboo became richer by the presence of Ir. Eko Prawoto, M.Arch (Architectural Department, Duta Wacana Christian University). In this session, he explained how bamboo is very useful for architectural designs with local and environmentally friendly based construction. Many interesting questions from the participants colored this session. “Bamboo is a local timber which is limited by prestige. Many people have a wrong perception about bamboo. Bamboo house has an image as an unhealthy and poor house. Basically, architecture of a bamboo house has a high taste of art. Our challenge is how to change the image of bamboo,” explained Ir. Eko Prawoto, M.Arch when he was answering the participant question.

After three days learning process about bamboo, the participants got enough knowledge about bamboo. “After knowing about bamboo, what we have to do?”. A question from Trustha Rembaka (Coordinator of Stube-HEMAT Yogyakarta) colored the last session of the Bamboo Training Program. In the Focus Group Discussion, the participants were invited to discuss about how the follow-up of the training that they want to do. Some participants wanted to write about bamboo and its benefits, some others wanted to learn about how to plant bamboo. There were also some participants who wanted to learn about how the technique of making a handicraft in “Karti Aji”. Participants’ spirit to learn about bamboo is very great. Keep learning and digging bamboo’s potency became the follow-up of the participants in this Bamboo Training Program. ***