Assam artisans find sustainable livelihoods in bamboo’s versatility
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In Jorhat, Assam, Prabhat Saikia began transforming locally abundant bamboo into furniture and crafts in 2006, creating jobs for young artisans and a business based on the plant’s many uses.
Saikia’s workshop now employs around 20 people, allowing them to earn a living without migrating to cities. He collaborated with the Rainforest Research Institute to learn bamboo treatment techniques, increasing the durability of his products and expanding their applications beyond traditional crafts into modern furniture and building materials.
India cultivates 136 bamboo species, with 125 originating within the country, and holds the second-largest bamboo resources globally, covering 13.96 million hectares. The Government of India’s National Bamboo Mission recognizes bamboo’s utility in construction, furniture, and a wide range of building components. Beyond construction, bamboo serves as a food source with edible shoots from species like Melocanna baccifera, and its fibres can be processed into textiles and paper. Bamboo’s benefits extend to environmental conservation.
Its root systems help prevent soil erosion, reducing loss from 22 to 4.5 tonnes per hectare annually, and conserve soil moisture. As of December 2024, the National Bamboo Mission has established 528 product development and processing units and 104 treatment and preservation units across India to support the bamboo economy and its potential for carbon sequestration. Saikia’s work demonstrates that skilled processing and market access are crucial to unlocking bamboo’s full value, providing livelihoods and sustainable resources for communities.
