The Osa Peninsula supports about 12,000 people, who are involved in different types of life-supporting activities, including agriculture. Friends of the Osa is committed to sustaining these activities over the long term and helping local residents coexist with nature and biodiversity.
In an effort to achieve these goals, FOO supports sustainable agriculture by facilitating bamboo use as an alternative source of revenue for farmers, as a way to reduce deforestation, and as a substitute for hardwoods in construction.
FOO’s Bamboo Center, based in La Palma, provides local residents with plant stocks, training, facilities for drying and curing bamboo canes, and cooperative access to the local market for bamboo. Over the past year, FOO has trained Osa residents in bamboo botany, propagation, craftsmanship, and construction. The Bamboo Center has generated tremendous interest and participation by local farmers.
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