The use of bamboo in almost every aspect village life can be seen clearly in Belega Village in Gianyar Regency. People in this village used Bamboo for building houses, instruments for rituals such as penjor, a place of water, and even to "produce money".

To visit Belega Village, drive to the eastern part of Bali through Gianyar from Denpasar and you will pass a T-junction beside Blahbatuh market. Then go straight ahead and start slowing down. You will see a "selamat datang di Desa Belega" sign, means welcome to Belega village, where you can see many workshops and shops that display many kinds of Bamboo products along the road. Then if you look at every house compound, you can see every family is making bamboo's crafts.

In the 1980's, villagers use to already make Bamboo crafts that they sold to street hawkers, and local people. In that time people made some articles in their spare time, after they came home from the rice fields.

But when Bali received many foreigners, some of whom visited the village and ordered some bamboo products, villagers realized the potential of bamboo. With input from foreigners, craftsman in this village develop their designs to export their product overseas.

Since1997, Bamboo has become the main income for the villagers. Many art shops have sprung up like mushrooms in rainy season. In every house compound can be found people making furniture or handicraft from Bamboo.

The benefit of the bamboo industry can be felt not only by Belega villagers but as well by people in others villages in Bali like Bangli, Tabanan and even Java. Since there are many orders from hotels and foreigners, Belega cannot provide enough bamboo so they order bamboo from other regencies to fulfill their need.

"What we can enjoy here also can be felt by our neighboring regences, because of high demand of our bamboo products we have to buy bamboo from our neighbors so they can feel the benefit of bamboo," Mr. Wayan Murja Ariana, the director of Khalis Karya Remaja bamboo house production says.

"We order black bamboo from Java, tiger bamboo from Jimbaran hill and Lombok, and for the rest we go to Bangli or Tabanan. Everyday, at least, four trucks come here full of bamboo."

Ariana, who had been visited by BBC and RTL television to film about Bamboo industry in his village, said that bamboo has given big support to Belega Village, especially for the young generation, as it gives a chance for them to have a better future.

"My craftsmen are teenagers. Some of them could not finish their studies and some of them take it as a part time job. After they come from school, they work for me and get some money to continue their lessons", he said.

"Today many of my craftsmen already have their own workshop and art shop," he added.