Promoting Small Scale Farm Associations/Cooperatives

The Program aims at reorganizing small scale farmers at the national level through creation of new and support existing bylaw associations/cooperatives in compliance with their groups’ identity or value chains development. The program supports small-scale farming; indigenous populations in order to increase the competitiveness of their agricultural production ensure their food security and increase their interaction with local and broader markets.

Advocating for Farm Budget Increase

The program’s goal is to raise awareness about the10% towards agriculture budget at the national. The program advocates for small scale farmers by pushing the government to increase its agriculture budget as stipulated in 2014 Malabo convention for contributing in acceleration of agricultural growth and transformation for shared prosperity and improved livelihoods. We need to see small scale farmers starting productive and value-added enterprises of goods and services, diversifying production for improved food availability and access and promoting social and community management of resources.

Integrating Fisheries and Agriculture to Enhance Fish Production and Food Security

There are manifold interactions between fisheries and agriculture through the common use of land and water resources and concurrent production activities to support rural village communities and supply urban areas with the needed quantity and variety of food. Such interactions extend to the institutional sphere, as fisheries and agriculture often fall within one government ministry. Improved integration between the two sectors is therefore an important means to enhance fish production and food security. Aquaculture is one of the world’s fastest-growing food-producing sectors, providing an important supplement to and substitute for stagnating yields from wild fish stocks. Agricultural by-products, such as manure from livestock and crop residues can serve as fertilizer and feed inputs for small-scale and commercial aquaculture. ESAFF Burundi works to influence the government places great emphasis on integrated rural development programmes to attain self-sufficiency in food production. Most pond owners in rural settings are generally medium and small-scale fish farmers. Ponds are invariably owned by individual households and are owner-managed. It is with these groups that fish production levels could be improved if better extension services and farmers training were provided

Improving climate-resilient sustainable agriculture

Agro-ecology benefits the country in terms of food and nutrition, livelihoods, restoration of biodiversity, knowledge and innovation, and climate change resilience. Agro-ecology reforms food systems to promote better nutrition and health, especially among poor communities.

Agro-ecology diversifies livelihoods and defends the dignity of women farmers and enables and empowers peasants to revive our soils and lands, cultivate relevant crops, advance food sovereignty, and build resilient ecosystems and communities; and such innovative production systems, based on indigenous knowledge, meet the nutritional, cultural and spiritual needs of Burundians’ people.

In addition to agro-ecology, we work with farmer networks to anticipate climate risks and make adjustments and to select climate-resilient crop varieties that are resistant to local climate conditions.

 Improve small scale farmers’ access to WASH facilities

Capitalizing on its experience gained in previous years, ESAFF Burundi aims at improving access to WASH facilities of small sale farmers through construction and decommissioning of non-operational latrines, and construction of water system networks. ESAFF Burundi intends to continue supporting/establishing Colline/quarter WASH committees mainly in provinces at high risks of cholera in Imbo region. Mass sensitization campaigns on hygiene promotion and good practices; such as hand washing as well as focus groups will be organized on a regular basis in all return and displacement sites and will be coordinated with other relevant agencies and clusters to create synergies

Promoting early recovery through provision of NFI and transitional/permanent shelters for vulnerable small scale farmers in prone-disaster provinces

Providing the NFIs and transitional/permanent shelters for small scale farmers affected by floods, landslides and natural hazards in prone-disaster provinces using cost effective and environmentally friendly materials/techniques through: (i) Shelter surveys and needs assessments to provide better analysis of the needs of individuals and households; (ii) Trainings targeting beneficiaries as well as coordination with local authorities, community leaders and communities to formulate proper actions and (iii) provision of NFIs and transitional shelters to the most vulnerable communities.