Many species of local bamboo, such as the tabah bamboo, which has high economic value, are now almost extinct
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By Pradipta Pandu Mustika
·5 minutes read
TANGKAPAN LAYAR YOUTUBE YAYASAN KEHATI
Pande Ketut Diah Kencana
Many species of local bamboo, such as the tabah bamboo, which has high economic value, are now almost extinct. Due to this condition, Pande Ketut Diah Kencana (62) has worked for decades to conserve tabah bamboo so that it has a socio-economic impact on the community.
While talking through the Zoom application on Monday (30/11/2020), Pande Ketut Diah Kencana , called Diah, said that she began to focus her research on bamboo when she finished her master’s degree study at the Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) in 1992. At that time, she researched the shelf life of canned bamboo shoots.
In writing her thesis, Diah was helped by Elizabeth Anita Widjaja, who is the first professor and taxonomist of bamboo in Indonesia.
This motivation is also based on the lack of research on food bamboo in Indonesia as most bamboo species cannot be developed for food. Of the approximately 1,600 species of bamboo in the world, only about 5 percent of the bamboo shoots can be consumed.
The research continued during Diah’s doctoral studies at Brawijaya University in 2008. After her long research, she began looking for local types of bamboo that could be used for food. She looked for bamboo in Bali considering that she comes from the "Island of the Gods".
Meanwhile, for tabah bamboo, the HCN content, which has always been a problem with bamboo shoots, is so low that it can be consumed raw.
After searching for several years, Diah found the bamboo type called tabah bamboo (Gigantochloa nigrociliata buse-kurz), which at that time only existed in Pupuan district, Tabanan regency. "My research shows that tabah bamboo shoots are different from betung bamboo. The content of HCN (cyanide acid) in bamboo betung is quite high. Meanwhile, for tabah bamboo, the HCN content, which has always been a problem with bamboo shoots, is so low that it can be consumed raw. If the bamboo shoots can be consumed, obviously all parts of the stem can be consumed for food, “she said.
However, the development of this bamboo for food has encountered a number of challenges because tabah bamboo is a seasonal bamboo species. Tabah bamboo shoots only grow during the rainy season. She also tried to make innovations so that tabah bamboo can still be used when bamboo shoots do not grow in the dry season.
The distillation process in the production of the liquid smoke also produces charcoal which is then reactivated for dish soap, odor absorbers, and briquettes.
Through her researches with students, Diah who is also a lecturer at the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Udayana University, found 17 derivative products from the tabah bamboo species that can be used. One of the main innovations is the development of liquid smoke from the burning of tabah bamboo sticks for food preservation. The distillation process in the production of the liquid smoke also produces charcoal which is then reactivated for dish soap, odor absorbers, and briquettes.
Apart from the stems, the tabah bamboo leaves can also be used as tea or herbal drinks. The bioactive content of tea from bamboo leaves has been studied by five students under Diah\'s guidance. The bamboo leaves that fall on the ground are also used as organic fertilizer which is fermented so that it can be used as an economic product for the community.
ARSIP PRIBADI
Pande Ketut Diah Kencana
To promote the benefits generated from tabah bamboo, Diah provided guidance to local communities since 2010 through two systems , namely upstream and downstream. Activities in the upstream include seeding to harvesting. Meanwhile, a cooperative has also been established in the downstream area with farmers or their wives as its members.
Farming activities are carried out in two main areas, namely in Pupuan, covering 14 villages with a total of around 800 farmers. On average, farmers have 10-50 clumps each with total planted area of about 80 hectares. The second area is located in four districts in Gianyar regency, namely Tegalalang, Payangan, Gianyar, and Tampaksiring.
Guidance for the preservation and cultivation of tabah bamboo is also carried out to avoid extinction. Apart from the economic side, the bamboo preservation also brings a positive impact on the environment. Bamboo has an excellent ability to absorb and retain water in the soil so that it can create new springs in nearby locations. Strong bamboo roots bind the soil to prevent landslides.
In 2015, she received an award from the Cooperatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Minister as the winner of the development of superior bamboo shoots with a one village one product (OVOP) approach.
Diah\'s persistence in developing bamboo for more than 30 years earned her a number of awards. In 2015, she received an award from the Cooperatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises Minister as the winner of the development of superior bamboo shoots with a one village one product (OVOP) approach.
In 2017, Diah received an award from the Agriculture Ministry as a savior of the germplasm of the tabah bamboo species.
Most recently, on 27 Nov. 2020, she received the environmental Kehati Award 2020 in the Cipta Kehati category. The award was given for her services in conserving local Balinese bamboo to be of economic value with the introduction of seedlings, cultivation, reed selective cutting techniques, bamboo shoot processing, and sustainable economic assistance.
Pande Ketut Diah Kencana
Born:Singaraja, Buleleng, Bali, 18 Nov.1958
Education:
- S-1 Udayana University
- S-2 Bogor Agricultural University
- S-3 Brawijaya University
Profession:
- Lecturer at the Faculty of Agricultural Technology, Udayana University
- Chairperson of the Research and Development Center for Bamboo LPPM, Udayana University
- Chairperson of the Udayana Community Development Program (UCDP) Taro Gianyar Village
