Growing Money For The Construction Industry.
There are various types of crops that are planted to be consumed mainly by the construction industry. They are a source of income to many people who work in industries related to the construction.
Bamboo.
Bamboo can be grown and harvested to be used in making furniture, fences,flooring,curtains and partition walling. There are various varieties of bamboo, some sort, some fast growing e.t.c
Bamboo belongs to the grass family, explaining why it grows very fast. China is the world’s largest producer of Bamboo. In Kenya, we have bamboo farms in Western Kenya, Thika and parts of Rift Valley such as Molo.
In Africa, Ethiopia is the largest producer of Bamboo.
Bamboo in Kenya naturally grows in the cold regions of Mount Kenya, Mount Elgon and the Mau region.
New species have been introduced that can grow in tropical regions such as Kibwezi and parts of Coast province.
Bamboo farming is very crucial in alleviating poverty since it requires very minimum processing to make the final product.
The Bamboo shoots can also be consumed as food.
KEFRI supplies various seedlings in Kenya depending on the climate of the area to be farmed.
Sisal.
Sisal grows well in Arid areas such as ,Mogotio near Nakuru,Thika and Vipingo in the Coast.
Sisal is used to make wall paper, floor carpets , ropes and cloth material.
Sisal farming does not utilize any pesticides hence advantageous to the environment.
Brazil is the world’s largest producer. Kenya is among the top 5 exporters. Rea Vipingo exports most of the sisal through the Mombasa port.
Cypress and Eucalyptus trees.
Cypress and Eucalyptus trees gives good returns after approximately 10 years of growth.
These are mainly used in roofing and furniture. Cypress is especially good in outdoor furniture making. These require little or no maintenance .
Eucalyptus trees can also be used to drain sewerage water in soak pits and conservancy tanks due to their unique ability to suck water from the surrounding soil into the atmosphere.
Francis Gichuhi Kamau, Architect.
www.a4architect.com
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