About us
The Environmental Bamboo Foundation (EBF) is a non-profit organization based in Indonesia with 30 years of experience working in thefield of bamboo. With a breakthrough strategy to tackle some of the world’s most pressing issues— climate change and land degradation— EBF creates economic opportunities for rural communities and promotes gender & social inclusion.
Led by Monica Tanuhandaru EBF is staffed by senior experts on forestry, rural developments, gender & social inclusion as well as by a team of young, passionate community organizers and GIS experts. With a headquarters in Bali and regional offices in Java, Kalimantan, and East Nusa Tenggara EBF manages bamboo-focused conservation and rural development programs in 8 provinces across Indonesia.
Our Dream
A “magical” grass, bamboo is rapidly renewable (can be harvested without need for replanting), cost effective (one pole yields 50 kilos of product), climate friendly (50 tons of carbon dioxide absorbed per hectare per year), landscape restoration (a clump can contain up to 5,000 liters of water), thus offering both ecological and economic benefits. We harness these benefits in the Bamboo Village Model, our signature green economy initiative based on village-level bamboo agroforestry and community-based bamboo industry.
We aim to build 1000 bamboo villages in Indonesia to create a green economy that restores 8% of Indonesia’s degraded land and its ecosystems (2 million hectares), absorbs 16% of Indonesia’s CO2 emissions per year (100 million tons), generates 6-9 billion USD per year, creates 1+ million jobs, and employs 210,000 women in key roles.
Achievement
EBF has engaged communities in 249 villages across Indonesia and managed active programs in 8 provinces. In 2021, our beneficiaries reached 3,400 villagers, who played a pivotal role in the production of 3.1 million bamboo seedlings, out of which 1.5 million seedlings had been planted in 2,856 hectares of land, including on degraded lands, watershed areas, and around water sources. The seedling and planting drive is a collaborative effort involving students, youths and church organizations, government agencies, private corporations as well as CSOs
One notable achievement is the Bamboo Mamas, a group of 388 women, mostly housewives, in 21 villages in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. Creating and nurturing bamboo propagules through family-based home nursery, the Bamboo Mamas succeeded in 2021 to produce 2.5 million bamboo seedlings. Their feat was acknowledged by President Jokowi during his visit to EBF’s Turetogo Bamboo Campus. Their success validates EBF’s belief in creating a bigger space for women in environmental programs.
Challenges, Concerns and A Chance for Change
Today, human activities are responsible for an annual emission of more than 36 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) to the atmosphere, adding to the highest CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere in over 800,000 years. More than 20% of the amount came from deforestation, agriculture, and other land-use activities.
In Indonesia, forest-fires, along with agricultural expansions and other unsustainable land management practices have resulted in the degradation of over 24 million hectares of land within state forests. Meanwhile, about 34.1% of Indonesia villages are located in forest fringe areas, heavily dependent upon natural resources.