The ‘green gold’ of Cordillera: How bamboo is shaping a more resilient future
By: Hanna C. Lacsamana, with PIO photo
The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) conducted the inaugural Regional Convention on Bamboo Innovation, which gathered state universities and colleges (SUCs), local government units, and other stakeholders to promote the wonders of bamboo as a versatile plant and as a driver of sustainable development in the region.
The convention was hosted by Benguet State University (BSU) in La Trinidad, Benguet recently with the theme, “Sinnakit ken Sirmata: Weaving Cordillera Resilience into the CARASUC Bamboo Nexus.”
Among its highlights is the launching of the CAR Bamboo Database by the BSU Bamboo Innovation and Development Extension Center to support research, information management, and resource development on bamboo in the Cordillera.
Long before it found its way into laboratories and innovation centers, bamboo was already part of everyday life in the Cordillera. It is woven into baskets, used to build homes, harvested for food, and handed down as part of indigenous traditions.
This time, the humble grass is taking on a greater role. Across the Cordillera, bamboo is emerging as one of the region’s most promising natural resources not only as a source of livelihood and innovation but also as a powerful partner in mitigating the effects of climate change.
Behind this transformation is an unprecedented collaboration among the government, SUCs, and farming communities, working toward turning bamboo into a sustainable industry that benefits both people and the environment.
The national government has provided P5 million each to participating SUCs under the Bamboo Innovation Project, enabling them to establish nurseries, conduct resource mapping, develop bamboo products, procure equipment, and train communities in bamboo propagation and enterprise development.
Mapping the future
Victorino O. Bayed, co-project leader for Kalinga State University (KSU), said the project’s first mission was understanding the province’s bamboo resources. Their team spent more than a year mapping bamboo across Kalinga’s barangays, producing the province’s first comprehensive inventory and distribution map.
“The first step was knowing how many and where our bamboo resources are located,” Bayed said, noting that the information has become the foundation for building a sustainable bamboo industry in Kalinga.
Their team has since established a bamboo nursery and a bambusetum containing 38 species while distributing more than 12,000 propagules to local governments and communities, contributing more than 60 hectares of bamboo area in the province in three years.
Nature’s defense vs. climate change
KSU also introduced iron bamboo, a semi-monopodial species considered suitable for preventing soil erosion in mountainous terrains because of its growth characteristics and for being one of the hardest of its kind based on literature. Community members have been trained to establish plantations and produce planting materials to encourage every household to plant bamboo.
In Apayao, co-project leader Dr. Maria Christina Z. Manicad of Apayao State College sees bamboo as “the way to go” for climate-resilient communities and sustainable livelihoods.
From forest to market
Under their team’s leadership, Manicad said ASC established 18 hectares of bamboo plantations. It also developed bamboo-based products such as lampshades, speakers and tumblers, and partnered with the Department of Science and Technology’s Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) for product innovation.
The college also secured an additional P7 million to establish facilities capable of processing bamboo fibers for future textile production, creating opportunities for students, researchers and local communities.
“We hope funding support continues for the project. With the continuous collaboration of SUCs and LGUs, we will attain progress in regional bamboo innovation and development,” Manicad said.
Changing minds, adding livelihood source
For Ifugao, co-project leader Ryan R. Tejada of Ifugao State University (IfSU) said innovation meant changing the way farmers perceive bamboo.
In their interactions with farmers, Tejada shared many growers considered bamboo useful only for its edible shoots. Instead of simply encouraging cultivation, IfSU developed bamboo wine and pickles from locally abundant giant bamboo to prove its other benefits.
Farmer cooperators began showing renewed interest in planting bamboo after seeing its potential to become a source of income through value-added products.
The university also expanded its nursery, established a research center, and secured national funding for a P50-million innovation center that will include food and wine laboratories.
“That’s our strategy. Once we convince our farmers, word of mouth would help in convincing others about the benefits of planting bamboo. We would like to share the technology that we discovered so that there will be another income source for our people,” Tejada said.
IfSU has so far contributed 64,000 propagules in the inventory of bamboo in Ifugao, which was non-existent before the project.
Weaving new opportunities
In Abra, Dr. Nero M. Paderes of the Abra State Institute of Sciences and Technology (ASIST) believes the province’s strength lies in bamboo fiber production as Abra has long celebrated bamboo through its annual Kawayan Festival.
But Paderes said farmers often struggled to market raw bamboo because of regulatory requirements.
Through the Abra Bamboo Textile Innovation Hub established with the help of DOST-PTRI, farmer cooperators now sell raw bamboo to the hub, which processes it into fibers that can eventually become yarn and textile materials, allowing farmers to earn more from what they grow while helping establish a new bamboo value chain in the province.
“The target of Abra now is to produce its own yarn combined with the bamboo fiber that we extract. This will be a great help for our farmers especially those engaged in bamboo production,” said Paderes.
“River bio-fencing”
In Mountain Province, Dr. Brent Greg E. Gomuad of Mountain Province State University (MPSU) is leading a different approach. Recognizing the scarcity of available land for plantations, his team introduced “river bio-fencing” by planting bamboo along the Chico River to protect vulnerable riverbanks while expanding bamboo resources.
The university has also integrated bamboo propagation into the curriculum of forestry and agriculture students, ensuring future professionals to have hands-on experience while helping maintain the university’s nurseries and demonstration sites.
So far, MPSU has two nurseries hosting 6,000 propagules and is on the process of establishing a bamboo grove with amenities as a way of technology demonstration.
Preserving tradition through innovation
Roscinto Ian C. Lumbres of BSU emphasized effective bamboo management begins with accurate information. Their team digitized bamboo resource mapping using Geographic Information Systems (GIS), helping standardize data collection throughout the region.
Beyond research, BSU is addressing the shortage of bamboo used in Benguet’s “kayabang” or traditional basket weaving industry.
“We saw the lack of raw materials for Benguet basket weaving. If there are no raw materials, the current generation of weavers might not be able to transfer the skill to the next generation. For us to sustain this indigenous knowledge, we have to do scientific intervention,” Lubres said.
In terms of product development, BSU developed new products such as bamboo briquettes and bamboo-based food products to expand the plant’s commercial potential.
Baguio bamboo eco-park
On July 14, 2026, Baguio City’s biggest media organization, the Baguio Correspondents and Broadcasters Club, in partnership with the Philippine Bamboo Federation and the city government of Baguio, launched the Burnham Bamboo Eco-park, which transformed the Camp Peppot Ilagan in Burnham Park into an eco-park by planting more than 1,000 bamboo seedlings of 20 species since 2025.
BCBC has been adopting parks as one of its projects, including the Busol Watershed, where members of the media have earlier planted bamboo as a memorial for departed colleagues in the industry.
Growing together
Despite working in different provinces with unique challenges, Cordillera SUCs collaborate with each other. Lumbres said each state university shares its expertise, technologies, and discoveries with the others. Whether it is bamboo mapping in Kalinga, textile innovation in Abra, product development in Apayao, food technology in Ifugao, riverbank rehabilitation in Mountain Province, or digital resource management in Benguet, every breakthrough becomes a regional resource.
The future is bamboo
Having established nurseries, mapped resources, and trained communities, the region’s SUCs are shifting their focus toward commercialization, value-chain development, and entrepreneurship so farmers can earn greater income from bamboo products.
From protecting mountains against erosion and restoring riverbanks to producing byproducts, bamboo continues to prove it is among nature’s most versatile plants. With sustained support from the national government and dedication of the Cordillera’s SUCs, the once-overlooked grass is growing into one of the region’s strongest symbols of environmental stewardship, scientific innovation, and inclusive rural development. – Hanna C. Lacsamana
