The idea of growing bamboo for profit in the United States has been in play for nearly a century, with test plots of giant bamboo successfully grown in Alabama as early as 1944. But with a ready supply coming from Asia, there has been no incentive to fully explore a domestic source of bamboo—until now.

Today, things are different. The race for truly renewable resources and solutions for climate change is on.

Unsustainable practices and overharvesting in Asia means that creating a domestic supply of bamboo in the United States has the potential for major practical, economic and environmental benefits.

With prime growing conditions, pioneering propagation techniques, and innovative companies ready to create the necessary manufacturing and infrastructure links, the U.S. is poised to act. All that remains is the political commitment and front-end investment. From there, willing farmers can begin to turn this vision into a reality.

The World Wants More Bamboo. The markets for bamboo are vast and growing. The global market for bamboo goods now exceeds $10 Billion per year and is expected to reach $15-20 billion by 2018 according to Prosperity Initiative, a nonprofit based in Vietnam. Much of that demand comes from the United States, literally half a world away from where most commercial bamboo is grown today.

The Climate Needs Help. Bamboo is one of the most effective scrubbers of carbon dioxide in the world. It grows four times faster than wood, produces far more biomass, and sequesters 35% more C02. It requires very little water to grow, and almost no fertilizers to thrive, yet conventional agricultural techniques can easily keep it from spreading to unwanted areas. It attracts wildlife and prevents erosion. It also leaves the soil richer and the water cleaner than it started.

Farmers Need Sustainable Crops. The world needs crops that are more efficient, affordable and sustainable. For decades, American farmers have provided the world with plentiful corn and cotton. But everyone from the Mississippi Delta to the halls of Congress knows that farmers need to diversify. Bamboo has a ready market, it can be grown quickly, and produce yields that could trump existing crops. The United States is currently the largest importer of bamboo in the world.

Americans Need Jobs. Building a domestic bamboo industry from the ground up creates jobs. From growing to harvesting, manufacturing to retail, renewable energy to carbon offsets, countless diverse industries would see healthy rewards within the decade. Not to mention the long-term social and economic value of cultivating a renewable resource that sequesters carbon.