Cross Learning Visit on Bamboo Value Chain for the Building Construction Sector

Organizers: ICIMOD, Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE), International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR), Forestry and Bamboo Industry Department of Yibin City

About the learning visit

The International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) in collaboration with the International Bamboo and Rattan Association (INBAR), the Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE), and the Forestry and Bamboo Industry Department of Yibin City in Sichuan, China is organizing a cross-learning visit on bamboo value chain in the building construction sector from 7-13 December 2025. The government officials, community organizations and private sectors from Bhutan, India and Nepal will participate. The cross-learning visit aims to strengthen regional knowledge sharing on enabling policies, research, sustainable practices, and innovative technologies on the bamboo value chain to bring a holistic understanding for its use in the construction sector.

The visit will highlight affordable and innovative technologies, enabling policy instruments, product certification standards and operational marketing models (such as Public Private Partnerships) to promote bamboo as a viable nature-based construction material in the HKH region.

Objectives

The objectives of this cross-learning visit are to –

• Strengthen regional knowledge sharing on bamboo value chain (from the source to harvesting, processing technologies, branding and marketing) for using it as sustainable and resilient building construction materials,
• Understand policy landscapes on building codes and product certification standards promote bamboo-based constructions,
• Learn from research and development on strength, durability and performance of various bamboo species to use as construction materials.
• Observe proven on-site demonstration of bamboo-based architecture.

Expected outcome

The participants are expected to learn, adopt and share experiences on the bamboo sourcing practices, its treatment, technological innovations, market distribution networks, and the policy processes and standards to promote bamboo as locally available, sustainable and resilient building materials within the selected countries.

Background

Bamboo is abundantly found in the HKH countries, and its uses are deeply rooted in the peoples’ cultural rituals and traditions. It is fast growing, strong, flexible, and lightweight material ideal for a sustainable and resilient construction. But it is still considered as poor man’s timber due to its widespread use especially in rural and resource-constrained places. However, today with proper treatment and innovative technologies, bamboo can be durable, low-cost building material making it a practical choice for both temporary shelters and modern permanent structures. Despite the vast potential to be used in modern construction, the bamboo sector across the HKH countries including faces several challenges. One of the major barriers is – Bamboo is not yet formally recognized as a construction material in the Building Code of many HKH countries thus, hindering its wider adoption and use as a viable construction material.

The bamboo-based economy particularly in construction sector is very minimal, largely due to a lack fragmented production, unstable markets and lack of innovations. The HKH countries require enabling policy with certification standards, a sustainable bamboo value chain backed by action research, and skill development of artisans to promote traditional and industrial scale bamboo markets that cater to vernacular architectures and modern building designs.

Therefore, a holistic understanding on the potentials of bamboo as a resilient building material and its market opportunities are essential. The learning visit is hence expected to strengthen the knowledge exchange on bamboo value chain and bring understanding on market demand and supply chain, through innovations and technologies for an evidence-based policy and guidelines to promote bamboo as nature-based solutions for construction.

About the Organizers

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is a regional and intergovernmental knowledge and learning centre, serving the eight HKH countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan. With four decades of experience in the region, the ICIMOD Strategy 2030: Moving Mountains raises the ambition and envisions a greener, inclusive, and climate resilient HKH. As per ICIMODʼs structural portfolio, under Strategic Group “Resilient Economies and Landscapes” and Action Area- Economies, a dedicated intervention on “Settlements” places significant emphasis on holistic development of human settlements.

The Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment (IMHE) of Chinese Academy of Sciences in Chengdu is a state non-profit academic institution. It mainly specializes on- a) Formation and mitigation of mountain hazards, b) Degradation and reconstruction of mountain environment, c) Evaluation, planning and sustainable development of eco-environment, and d) Remote-sensing, mapping, GIS, and Agroecology.

The International Bamboo and Rattan Organization (INBAR) is an intergovernmental development organization that promotes environmentally sustainable development using bamboo and rattan. 52 Member States are a part of INBAR. In addition to its Secretariat Headquarters in China, INBAR has Regional Offices in Cameroon, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana and India.

Forestry and Bamboo Industry Department of Yibin City is in Sichuan province. Yibin city is home to 51 processing companies with a combined annual production capacity of 910,000 metric tons of bamboo-pulp board, paper and moulded products. The city is using bamboo as a plastic alternative.