Bamboo, a resource commonly found throughout India, will now be put to a better use. As compared to the use of grass for the traditional construction of stilt houses; bamboo is now being promoted for the construction of low-cost multi-tiered greenhouses that is expected to increase agricultural output in dry districts such as Visakhapatnam.
Bhagavatula Charitable Trust in collaboration with Krishi Vigyan Kendra (Yelamanchili) has constructed greenhouse prototypes using rattan, bamboo, and nets to promote floriculture. Experts have introduced the use of bees for pollination in the greenhouse, to make the concept more eco-conducive.
A structural engineer working with Krishi Vigyan Kendra, K Srinivasulu said, “A lot of people do not realize that bamboo is as strong as steel and as far as durability is concerned it is very tough and resistant to termites. In such a scenario, building multi-tiered bamboo greenhouses to increase agricultural output in dry districts such as Visakhapatnam is a very good option for small farmers. More importantly, farmers will also take to export-oriented floriculture rather than water consuming native crops or dry crops that give little returns.”
PV Sarma, an expert in hydroponic practices and soil conservation said these greenhouses are almost 1/10th of the cost of greenhouses in western countries but equally effective. He urged the state and central governments to promote these practices on a large scale to challenge food scarcity and land and resource scarcity.”
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