This is the fifth workshop in the series; the first was held in Mexico in 2017, second in Peru in 2018, third in India 2019 and the fourth in Vietnam. The four-day event at Punta Brava, Izabal, Guatemala will have lectures, hands-on training, exhibitions and cultural shows. Participants from all over the world are expected to join the workshop.

​

It will be an ideal showcase to exhibit the potential of Guatemala in terms of bamboo, both for the qualities of its territory, microclimates, culture, and geographical location, as for the large developmental, environmental and climate-related opportunities a bamboo industry will create in Central America.

​

Guatemala, and Central America at large, are undergoing an exciting transformation with respect to bamboo. While some bamboo species have been native to Guatemala for millennia, in the past five decades there has been a dissemination of commercial bamboo plantations and increased knowledge and interest of different species and their uses.

​

Most recently, there has been a strong resurgent interest in Guatemala from all sorts of sectors, as for example with the development of a National Bamboo Association (Anabambu), interest from the government in facilitating its commercialization, and increasing activity from the private sector spotting interesting market opportunities for bamboo products in local and international markets.

​

The relevance of this Workshop will allow participants to visualize the ways in which bamboo can be a global tool for a better future.