Rizal gets bamboo-based livelihood support

Photo shows the equipment provided by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) that upland communities in Rizal will utilize to produce briquettes made from bamboo. DOST PHOTO

IN Rodriguez, Rizal, bamboo is becoming more than a natural resource — it is opening doors to new livelihood opportunities and more sustainable fuel production, with support from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

The partnership among DOST-Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI), Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Barangay Puray Upland Farmers Association Inc., and the Tribal Council Association of Puray Inc. aims to establish a community-based enterprise that will convert locally available bamboo into charcoal briquettes in Barangay Puray.

“Livelihood and environmental protection do not have to be competing goals. With the right technology, communities can use resources such as bamboo while reducing reliance on wood for charcoal. This project shows that economic opportunities and environmental protection can go hand in hand,” said Science Secretary Renato Solidum Jr.

Through the initiative, the people’s organizations will be trained to produce and potentially market bamboo charcoal briquettes.

Charcoal briquetting converts carbonized biomass and charcoal fines into compact fuel by mixing them with a binder and compressing the mixture using a briquetting machine. DOST-FPRDI has developed both manual and hydraulic briquetting machines.

The briquettes produced are compact and easy to handle, burn more slowly, and can produce more intense heat per unit volume than ordinary charcoal. Aside from bamboo, the technology can also process coconut shells, coconut husks, coffee bean hulls, sawdust, and other agro-forest wastes.

“This gives communities greater flexibility in sourcing materials and creates opportunities to turn agricultural and forest residues into useful fuel products rather than allowing them to go to waste,” explained DOST-FPRDI Director Rico Cabangon.

Rodriguez, Rizal provides a strong foundation for the initiative, with about 1,642 hectares of bamboo plantations in Barangay Puray. The participating organizations are also managing substantial bamboo areas, including 167 hectares under Remontado Balik Kalikasan Inc., 197 hectares under the Barangay Puray Upland Farmers Association Inc., and nearly 300 hectares under the Tribal Council Association of Puray Inc.

DOST-FPRDI conducted site assessments and recommended facility layouts and equipment arrangements suited to the communities’ existing spaces and resources. To make the technology manageable, the project will begin with small-scale production using manual briquetting machines.

The equipment will be provided to the three participating organizations as they build the skills needed to operate the technology.

“Delivering the equipment is only the first step. What matters is whether communities can operate it, build the skills to use it, and eventually make it part of a viable livelihood. That is why we are starting with equipment and production scale suited to what these organizations already have, so they can grow their capabilities and expand as they gain experience,” he ended.

Through continued collaboration with local partners, DOST-FPRDI seeks to ensure that technologies are not only transferred to communities, but adapted to their needs and developed into opportunities they can sustain.