Bamboo, the world’s tallest grass, has been called the wood of the future. In fact, from China to Costa Rica, its minimal processing needs and rapid regeneration have made it the building material of the present, and bamboo manufacturers in developing nations are increasingly sharing their knowledge with other countries of the global South.

In an ambitious bid to create a new agricultural sector in countries with untapped bamboo resources, the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR), an inter-governmental organization headquartered in Beijing, and the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC), an Amsterdam-based UN-backed development fund active in commodity-dependent countries, are working together to build a market for environmentally-friendly, inexpensive pre-fabricated bamboo housing in the developing world.

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