Tree Genetics and Molecular Breeding 2025, Vol.15, No.1, 25-32 http://genbreedpublisher.com/index.php/tgmb 27 2.2 Low resource utilization rate Despite Ninghai County’s 230 000 mu (15 333 hectares) of bamboo forests, accounting for 14.8% of its total forested area, the utilization rate of bamboo resources is less than 30%. The use of bamboo resources remains limited to the basic sale of raw materials and fresh shoots, failing to unlock the potential of bamboo shoots in food, medicine, and construction sectors. The industry is stuck in a low-end development cycle. Bamboo forest management is fragmented, lacking unified planning and large-scale operations. Over the past two decades, declining market demand has led farmers to lose enthusiasm for managing bamboo forests, resulting in aging forests. Additionally, authorities have been unable to effectively facilitate land circulation and consolidation, with delayed adoption of advanced technologies and high-yield forest cultivation methods. Resource wastage is a significant issue. Farmers typically focus on harvesting high-quality winter shoots, spring shoots, and whip shoots for economic gain, leaving other varieties underutilized (Zhang et al., 2021). Similarly, in the bamboo processing sector, limited market demand leads to the selection of only premium bamboo, while other materials remain unused, further exacerbating resource waste (Lin et al., 2018). 2.3 Monotonous business model The bamboo shoot industry in Ninghai lacks innovation and diversity in its business model, particularly in planting, processing, and sales. Planting practices are restricted to traditional natural growth methods, with insufficient development of the under-forest economy. Dense bamboo forests lack selective harvesting and rational management, resulting in stagnant forest productivity. Processing activities remain focused on primary products, such as dried shoots and salted shoots, which have low added value (Zhang et al., 2021). The development of higher-end products, such as canned bamboo shoots and bamboo shoot beverages, has yet to begin, with even basic industrialization conditions lacking. Sales channels are traditional and limited, with most fresh shoots sold through door-to-door purchases or wholesale markets. This “wait-and-see” sales approach fails to meet modern market demands and hampers market expansion and brand development (Lu et al., 2018). 2.4 Insufficient policy support A lack of strong policy support is a critical factor in the challenges faced by Ninghai’s bamboo shoot industry. Policy implementation has failed to fully exploit the industry’s potential, with insufficient systematic research and planning by relevant authorities leading to ineffective support measures (Zhang et al., 2021). Funding shortages exacerbate the problem. While afforestation funds are relatively sufficient, subsequent maintenance and cultivation funding are severely lacking, hindering bamboo forest productivity and preventing the establishment of high-efficiency bamboo shoot bases. The social service system is underdeveloped, leaving farmers without access to scientific training in bamboo shoot cultivation and processing or standardized product processing guidelines. Limited market guidance further prevents farmers from adapting to modern consumer demands, restricting the sustainable development of the bamboo shoot industry. 3 Innovative Practices for Revitalizing the Bamboo Shoot Industry in the Mountainous Areas of Ninghai 3.1 Optimizing the industrial environment Bamboo forests, as critical ecological barriers, symbolize “lucid waters and lush mountains” and serve as pathways to achieving “gold and silver mountains”. Against this backdrop, Shanlixiang Company has played a leading role in optimizing the bamboo shoot industry’s overall environment in Ninghai. The company established a bamboo shoot industry consortium to integrate bamboo forest resources, transferring a significant amount of bamboo forest land to lay the foundation for large-scale operations. To address long-standing sales challenges, the company consolidated scattered resources and created an efficient sales platform. This platform not only helped villagers handle surplus dried bamboo shoots but also opened modern sales channels through e-commerce and live-streaming platforms, ensuring the efficient flow of bamboo shoot products. In 2023, e-commerce live streams helped the company generate over 8 million RMB from spring bamboo shoots and 5 million RMB from processed bamboo shoot products (Yu et al., 2007). Additionally, the company initiated skill training programs in partnership with Huangtan Town, offering bamboo shoot cultivation and processing courses to over 2 000 participants. These programs enhanced local villagers’ technical expertise, supported over 120 entrepreneurial ventures, and created
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