Growing bamboo at the farm.

I'm told bamboo grows in Uganda. Do any of you know if there is bamboo near the farm?

It is am amazing building material that grows very fast. In four years or less we'll have bamboo that is very strong that we can use to build with. Bamboo can be used to make thousands if things... from food to clothes to tools to music.

I have been dreaming about making a huge dome out of bamboo, and filling the inside with hammocks, swings and tight ropes... and covering it with canvas tarps. A lot of people could sleep in there. It would be cheap and easy to construct.

On the US gulf coast after hurricane Katrina I set up a 60ft dome a and it served as a community center where we fed 1000 people a day. A friend from LA even flew down to do an aerial show hanging down from the top of the dome... check the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E Zfr6TxHEIU

I'm a circus freak with a hula hoop and found we can make domes out of those too, using the circle of life design. We started working on it at my project in Mexico, but didn't have enough hoops to make a full dome: http://actionhero.smugmug.com/ga llery/2570014#136656674

Bamboo can also be used for making hammock stands... and I'm keen to set up a sewing room for hammock production at Opok Farm.

I'm stoked to have found you all!

This is gonna be fun!

-Cor www.actionheronetwork.net

Last comment added: Sat, 23 Feb 2008 11:23:19 PST

Comment 1 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Hi Cory - glad to see you here.

yes we have some bamboo at the farm. There's a smallish patch near the old (now destroyed) farm house though, and we were kind of wondering why it hadn't spread more over the past 20 years of growing wild.

what kind of soil conditions does bamboo grow best in - anyone know? We've already talked about planting some. Didn't know it would take 4 years to mature. For some reason I though bamboo grew quicker, but I don't have much experience to back that up.

Comment 2 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

>>yes we have some bamboo at the farm. There's a smallish patch near the old (now destroyed) farm house though, and we were kind of wondering why it hadn't spread more over the past 20 years of growing wild.<<

In Oregon it grows like a weed, overtakes anything, and is very, very hard to get rid of.

Comment 3 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

If I remember right, it does best in a faily wet locale, either from a waterway or like in Oregon where it is just wet a lot of the time. Maybe the area at the farm was too dry.

Comment 4 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Maybe the area at the farm was too dry.

Yes, this particular patch is up on a ridge. There may be a lot more growing in areas closer to the river that we haven't yet explored.

Aren't there different kinds of bamboo, or is it basically all the same variety?

Comment 5 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Most bamboos grow well in moist, well drained and fertile soil .... it says here. :)

Comment 6 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

The bamboo I used in the US gulf coast was called Moso, and it grows the full height its first year. After that its fibers get stronger each year.

This image shows a pile of it: http://actionhero.smugmug.com/ga llery/1557279#75160621

Maybe the type of bamboo you have at the farm is a "clumping" verity which doesn't spread like the "running" rhizomes.

I'll look into what kind grows in Uganda, and what would serve best for building. Could someone find out what kind you have on the farm and in the area?

Comment 7 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Bamboo grows well in Kitgum in a place called Lukung.there are plently some are domestic and others wild.the one which grow at home takes about 4years as stated but the wild ones it's not specific and I believe in the farm it will grow well especiall the domestic.

munnu

Comment 8 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

I can't even begin to enumerate the uses I have seen here for bamboo. Almost all scaffolding is bamboo. I thought I could find a picture I had of the first apartment building I lived in. They painted this 11 story building and all of the scaffolding was bamboo tied together with plastic ribbon or rope. Cooking, drain pipes, flower pots, eating, building, ladders, broom handles, curtains, mats, musical instruments...maybe more uses than coconut shells!

And some of it makes incredible decorative plantings .... red stems...

Comment 9 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Since opok farm is highly fertiled; i don't know whether baboo requires fertily or infertily i need some tips on it, but i think bamboo will grow well just like Munnu said in his suggestion and ours can be more than that of lukung, which is largely being on sale for the whole of Gulu town, yes opok can do as well.

Comment 10 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Bamboo reminds me of my grandfather who had roofed his house using them.He also used the bamboo to trap rain water.

Comment 11 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

I almost forgot bamboo furniture

What looks like a good place to start to learn about growing bamboo.

Comment 12 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Photos of beautiful bamboo structures:

http://www.deboerarchitects.com/ Bamboostructures.html

http://www.bambootech.org/showga llery.asp?catid=13#

http://www.deboerarchitects.com/ BambooThoughts.html

Lots of links to info about bamboo and other green building ideas:

http://www.greenhomebuilding.com /bamboo.htm

http://www.pacificbamboo.com/com munity

http://www.rainforestinfo.org.au /good_wood/bamboo.htm

Comment 13 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

I'm not yet a bamboo expert, but I'm sure it will not be hard to build a bamboo structure at the farm. We can get bamboo from somewhere else to begin with, then start growing more.

I'd like to be in Uganda this November. I don't know the Opok Farm project time line yet.

When are you planning to start building?

What do you think about making a bamboo dome?

It there funding to support such a project?

Comment 14 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

I have to say that a bamboo dome is not high on our priority list for funding right now, Cory. For now, with personal funds dwindling quickly, we're hoping to get some basics funded that can help us clear and plant more land. But anyway, how much do you imagine your bamboo dome would cost? And what would it's functional purpose be?

Comment 15 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Here is a dream - how about $10,000 from the get 100 people in your group thing at Razoo? We are up to 73 ....

Comment 16 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Dare to dream, I sure do. Be aware that Invisible Children has exploded to over 400 members in their Razoo group in the last few days and has the capacity to drive many votes for the $10,000 Razoo funding event. I think Opok can get to 100 members by 10/1 (the new extended deadline), but will also then be competing with IC, Peace Tiles and many others for the most votes.

Comment 17 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Linda... tonight, I will ask everyone in my email list to join the opok farm group on Razoo and the action hero group. If action hero gets it, we'll make the dome. If Opok gets it, I hope we make the dome.

The dome would be a gathering place, dorm, workshop and playground. It is an open space shade structure. We could do anything with it.

The cost would be the cost of bamboo, rope and canvas. Hard to say what these will cost. I'll look into it.

Can anyone there look into the cost of bamboo that could be used for building?

Comment 18 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Thanks for the info mark. And this is the power of unity... they have a large network.

What do you folks know about IC's work in Uganda? Someone said that 50% of the money they get goes to Washington lobbyists. Is this true?

I don't want to bash their work to get votes... but if this is true, it is a waste of a lot of money. I really don't know, so I'm keen to hear from you folks.

Comment 19 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

I believe that if we can come up with a concrete visible plan for helping visible people with the names of people doing the work....

Has anyone there any numbers on the cost of a well?

My mind is working...

As part of the speedgranting that Invisible Children got, I wrote to people asking for disclosure of how the money they have been collecting for the past couple of years was spent. I didn't get a response from a single person there. I want someone to show me where all of the money that is being generated by Invisible Children is going. I am really getting frustrated. :-(

Comment 20 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

This is really affordable construction! And it is SOOOOOOO beautiful!

Comment 21 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

While I understand IC frustration, given the history with omidyar.net, Omidyar Network, Life in Africa, Grace, Christina, myself and so many, amny people here with the Invisible Children org, I really would encourage us to not get into a negative IC mode here.

edit: spelling

Comment 22 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

I am sorry if that appeared to be my intention because it is not. I just think that with a workable, detailed plan and total transparency, we can set the bar at Razoo.

Comment 23 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

I love the idea of an alliance with your actionhero network, Cory! Here's a link to a razoo action I set up earlier today.

Join the Opok Farms group at Razoo

One question - how long do you think the canvas part of the dome construction will last in our equatorial storms? That's very likely to be the most expensive and yet most fragile part.

but ok... so this discussion of razoo ties into one of the things I've been wanting to discuss with Linda on community building. Seems to me there needs to be a two step process when we think about housing for the village. First, we need to get people out there and able to live in the wilderness, so that they can build their houses.

On another thought line completely, the eco-tourism ideas that we really think have the most potential are targeted at local community and school groups, with Opok Farm as an educational retreat-type destination within reach of Gulu and Murchison Falls national park. One of the things I dream of is an open space event center - in other words, large covered areas for group meetings, with a large kitchen capacity and dorm-like sleeping arrangements. Another thing we've dreamed about is educational play - treehouses, birdwatching platforms and info display points built into special features in the landscape.

So what I'm thinking right now is an enhanced version of what I was thinking before Cory's bamboo dome idea came up... if (and that's a big if) we can manage to get the $10,000 thru razoo, I'd suggest that we use it to build the dorms, latrines, meeting spaces, and kitchen facilities that can serve the eco-tourism purpose down the line, while temporarily housing the village population of child-families for the first 6-12 months they are there (ie, while they are learning to build their own homes).

Could be very cool to think about 1 or more bamboo domes serving the purpose.

Comment 24 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Has anyone there any numbers on the cost of a well?

A borehole costs about shs13m (about $8,000)

There is one borehole that needs renovating (about $2,500)

There are several springs. It's recommended that we protect them with a cement structure at a cost of about $2,000 each.

Comment 25 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Christina, you are right about the canvas on the dome. It could be the most expensive part, but I'm thinking about keeping the sewing to a minimum. That would reduce the cost a lot. I will use a bunch of tarps that tie together when I create one. When they get damaged, they will be easy to fix.

I learned a lot from setting up the 60ft dome on the US Gulf coast after Katrina. The dome cover had a lot of zippers that broke, and it was one huge piece with a sun roof, which was very heavy and hard to get perfectly in place. We needed a fire engine ladder truck crane to lower it on. That's me on the left: http://actionhero.smugmug.com/ga llery/1059510#53101224

Thanks for your messages about IC. I've talked to James at IC, who lives in Gulu. Do any of you know him? I told him that I didn't like this video ( http://www.invisiblechildren.com /theMovie/media/index.php?mediaI D=1003816137 ) and he said something like "Don't get me started." No point into going into the negative... I hear that loud and clear from everyone, so, back to creating want we want and not worrying about anything else.

There is so much openness and intelligence here, I see no reason why we can't unite and gather as much support as is need to re-create Eden.

As for eco-tourism... I'm all about it! I'm working on making a youth hostel here at home in Canada and one in Mexico. The project in Mexico is a bit like what you have in mind. Last year was the first year really. We had about 20 people there exploring and doing service projects. Mostly everyone just had a good time and enjoyed the cultural exchange. The family I live with there has given me a bunch of land in a remote location to create a school: http://tribes.tribe.net/roblito/ photos/b5136279-6497-4e26-896a-e 05738f33d5b

Christina... I liked what you wrote about youth from North America going to Uganda to help the needy, but really they will get so much out of it. We are better off looking at the volunteer opportunities as partnership building. I don't say that we are going to Mexico to help the poor, even though we buy them bikes and bring them soccer shoes. Others gave a guitar, a piano and a sewing machine, but we all gained so much from the experience.

Argon, a super hero bike rider from Portland, Oregon is visiting me this weekend. He was with us in Mexico too. I found this on his tribe profile:

In the Service of Life

Serving is different from helping. Helping incurs debt. But serving, like healing, is mutual. Serving is also different from fixing. There is distance between ourselves and whatever or whomever we are fixing. Fixing is a form of judgment. All judgment creates distance, a disconnection, an experience of difference. If helping is an experience of strength, fixing is an experience of mastery and expertise. Service on the other hand, is an experience of mastery, surrender, and awe. We cannot serve at a distance. We can only serve that to which we are profoundly connected-- that which we are willing to touch. We serve life not because it is broken, but because it is holy.

-Adapted from Rachel Naomi Remen

Also the discussion about what is wealth and how much do we really need money is very important. More please! These are the conversations I plan to have with kids in schools here before I go to Uganda, during and after, and I want your help with developing these concepts. We get so stuck on money, and money is certainly not the answer to why we are on this planet. Most of us here in Canada are environmental millionaires and don't even realize it.

It is 3am and I've been online reading and watching videos most of this beautiful day. I also finished off details on six hammocks. I do them assembly line style. I'm committed to this work and keen to play with you all. For me, the pay off is getting to be with loving people in beautiful strange places.

Comment 26 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Cory said:

Also the discussion about what is wealth and how much do we really need money is very important. More please!

Cory, I would welcome you comments and questions on this issue. To keep this thread on topic, I set up a general discussion in the network weavers group, or, if we are talking specific to Ned Uganda, we could continue the discussion here.

Comment 27 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Check out this dome frame design using bamboo: http://tribes.tribe.net/stardome s/photos/ec5e695a-e9d7-4577-ad2a -4e3fb4c9487f

We could make one a lot bigger using the same idea.

The kids could also learn how to make them for themselves.

When do you expect to have kids at the farm?

Comment 28 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Cory Richardson said:

When do you expect to have kids at the farm?

Not before we have a place for them to sleep and eat there. The Ugandan school year starts in the beginning of feb. So if we can manage to find the funding for the materials to build this fall, then we could think about whether some families could move out early 2008. If not, we can't make our own baked bricks until Dec-Feb, so it's unlikely we'd have any of the required basic structures up before about March or April next year. Under that scenario I was imagining we would start with a group of adult/teachers and move a larger number of families with kids out the following Dec/Jan.

Comment 29 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

When we build with bamboo, we don't need to worry about the bricks.

We could also put cob(clay/straw/sand mix) between the bamboo... which I'm sure people know how to do there.

Comment 30 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Cory Richardson said:

We could also put cob(clay/straw/sand mix) between the bamboo... which I'm sure people know how to do there.

Would that work for a dome? I really like the dome idea but my biggest concern is the canvas. High quality canvas is not available in Uganda - I'm told the closest source is in nairobi and it's expensive. In our weather I'm imagining it won't last more than 3-5 years.

Hmmm.

I am wondering if there would be a way to creatively thatch a dome so that it would still look like a dome. We've got tons of good roofing grass on the farm.

Comment 31 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

By the way Cory - can you share more about your plans to come to Uganda in November? When might we see you on the farm? I've made a suggestion to John Powers over here http://www.ned.com/group/opokfar ms/news/4/?page=1#comment15 it would be great to have your input on land use planning as well. Maybe we could also play with some pressed earth bricks and bamboo while you are there - we've got a workforce of 25 workers eager to learn!

Comment 32 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

I spent a lot of time in India with a good friend of mine, Baba is his name, and while in his sixties, he's still agile as a teenager.

Baba lives in a tribal jungle area in the Western Ghats (South India -- the place where the jungle book is based on) and has several field of thick green bamboo. I ended up staying with him and some of the tribals for a few months, and he teached me the fine art of cutting, stripping and working bamboo. At the same i teached his son a few things about painting and in no time we had some artworks that could easily sit within a London gallery.

My question is : Is there any artistic endeavors you people do with bamboo?

Comment 33 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

there are some musical instruments that use bamboo, Dominique, but I haven't seen other local artforms using it. Might be different in Kitgum (not far away) however. They use a lot more bamboo in housing.

Cory - here's an idea I've been toying with in my mind for the dome... I dunno if it will work, but I'd like your thoughts. Take a look at the pic below.

There's 2 things to note:

The rocky outcrop Norbert is standing on extends +/-20 meters back behind me (holding the camera) into a semi-forested area where we've thought about building a hut made out of some of the interesting stones on the farm. We think it could be a fun place for an educational display about the geology on the farm, with the hut as an attraction. There is quite a bit of ground water nearby - we've thought it might be a good place for a DYI borehole, some picnic tables and latrines.
The field in front of where Norbert is standing splits around another rocky area inter-forested with trees. Doesn't look like it from the pic, but there is actually quite a lot of cleared space within that forest clump. Like little rooms. Way before we met you, Cory, we talked about possibly building a bamboo scaffolding - like a skywalk in the trees.

This area is a 5 min walk from the ridge

So what if we built a dome structure around that copse of trees in front of where Norbert is standing, and use that as a community gathering space?

Might seem like a weird idea to combine the dome idea with forest inside of it, but I've been thinking about this spot ever since you suggested the dome. I wonder if it could work.

Comment 34 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

I love the image... and the idea of a skywalk. I'm open to anything.

I'm not sure when I am going to get there yet. I have not had any luck finding a Canadian non-profit partnership. The Aeroplan (airmiles) company in Canada says they will help me, but I need a Canadian tax number. Action Hero is based in the USA. I may also be starting a job with a school here... which doesn't mean I can't go to Uganda, but I'll need to put some time in with the school before I go. My work with you on Opok Farm will be in partnership with the school.

I was on a TV talk show today speaking about Opok Farm, and pointing people to the Razoo site to vote, but I see we don't have a chance at this point... with only 5 hours to go.

Anyway... I am still making hammocks and seeking a Canadian non-profit to team up with. If you have suggestions... please...

Check this... bamboo bikes in Africa: http://www.ecospace.cc/activism/ bamboo-bike-project.htm

I'm also talking to people at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada. They have sent students to Uganda and are keen to help. Do you know Peter Shiefke or Awel Uwihanganye?

Comment 35 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

Cory Richardson said:

Christina, you are right about the canvas on the dome. It could be the most expensive part, but I'm thinking about keeping the sewing to a minimum. That would reduce the cost a lot. I will use a bunch of tarps that tie together when I create one. When they get damaged, they will be easy to fix.

I learned a lot from setting up the 60ft dome on the US Gulf coast after Katrina. The dome cover had a lot of zippers that broke, and it was one huge piece with a sun roof, which was very heavy and hard to get perfectly in place. We needed a fire engine ladder truck crane to lower it on. That's me on the left: http://actionhero.smugmug.com/ga llery/1059510#53101224

Thanks for your messages about IC. I've talked to James at IC, who lives in Gulu. Do any of you know him? I told him that I didn't like this video ( http://www.invisiblechildren.com /theMovie/media/index.php?mediaI D=1003816137 ) and he said something like "Don't get me started." No point into going into the negative... I hear that loud and clear from everyone, so, back to creating want we want and not worrying about anything else.

There is so much openness and intelligence here, I see no reason why we can't unite and gather as much support as is need to re-create Eden.

As for eco-tourism... I'm all about it! I'm working on making a youth hostel here at home in Canada and one in Mexico. The project in Mexico is a bit like what you have in mind. Last year was the first year really. We had about 20 people there exploring and doing service projects. Mostly everyone just had a good time and enjoyed the cultural exchange. The family I live with there has given me a bunch of land in a remote location to create a school: http://tribes.tribe.net/roblito/ photos/b5136279-6497-4e26-896a-e 05738f33d5b

Christina... I liked what you wrote about youth from North America going to Uganda to help the needy, but really they will get so much out of it. We are better off looking at the volunteer opportunities as partnership building. I don't say that we are going to Mexico to help the poor, even though we buy them bikes and bring them soccer shoes. Others gave a guitar, a piano and a sewing machine, but we all gained so much from the experience.

Argon, a super hero bike rider from Portland, Oregon is visiting me this weekend. He was with us in Mexico too. I found this on his tribe profile:

In the Service of Life

Serving is different from helping. Helping incurs debt. But serving, like healing, is mutual. Serving is also different from fixing. There is distance between ourselves and whatever or whomever we are fixing. Fixing is a form of judgment. All judgment creates distance, a disconnection, an experience of difference. If helping is an experience of strength, fixing is an experience of mastery and expertise. Service on the other hand, is an experience of mastery, surrender, and awe. We cannot serve at a distance. We can only serve that to which we are profoundly connected-- that which we are willing to touch. We serve life not because it is broken, but because it is holy.

-Adapted from Rachel Naomi Remen

Also the discussion about what is wealth and how much do we really need money is very important. More please! These are the conversations I plan to have with kids in schools here before I go to Uganda, during and after, and I want your help with developing these concepts. We get so stuck on money, and money is certainly not the answer to why we are on this planet. Most of us here in Canada are environmental millionaires and don't even realize it.

It is 3am and I've been online reading and watching videos most of this beautiful day. I also finished off details on six hammocks. I do them assembly line style. I'm committed to this work and keen to play with you all. For me, the pay off is getting to be with loving people in beautiful strange places.

<3

Comment 36 on Growing bamboo at the farm.

It is very wonderful skills and l have liked them