CABI assisted the Koppert Foundation to host a visit from the Ambassador of Burundi in The Hague, H.E. Madame Isabelle Ndahayo, and help strengthen greater sustainable agriculture, improve smallholder farmer livelihoods and food security.
Dr Janny Vos, CABI’s Partnerships Development Director, helped Koppert organize the visit to their facilities to explore and promote biological control solutions for crop pests and diseases in Burundi rather than a reliance on chemical pesticides.
CABI has collaborated with Koppert and the Koppert Foundation for many years to share knowledge on biocontrol. This includes development of the CABI BioProtection Portal which is the largest, free global resource for biological pest management.
Integrated Pest Management and sustainable farming practices
The partnership has also included the implementation of training programmes for ‘plant doctors’ to expand access to biocontrol resources. These include biological control agents which are safer-to-use and more environmentally friendly as part of Integrated Pest Management and sustainable farming practices.
Plant doctors operate from plant clinics set up under the CABI-led PlantwisePlus programme in collaboration with national partners in Burundi such as ISABU, DPV, DGMAVAE and BECFTP, among others.
PlantwisePlus sees a world where smallholder farmers are empowered to manage evolving plant health threats, increase their incomes, improve food security and safety, and reduce biodiversity loss.
Madame Ndahayo, who is a strong advocate for advancing Burundian agriculture with modern, nature-based solutions, expressed her intent to inspire policymakers back home to embrace these sustainable approaches.
Support for Burundi’s smallholder farmers
Earlier in December this year, Dr Vos and Dr Dennis Rangi, Director General, Development, took part in a presidential round table event and highlighted its support for Burundi’s smallholder farmers to increase their livelihoods and food security.
They attended the event held in Bujumbura to share the Burundian Government’s vision for the socio-economic development of the country.
The round table, which included the President of Burundi His Excellency Évariste Ndayishimiye, served as mobilization of financing for the implementation of Burundi’s vision to become an emerging country in 2040 and a developed country in 2060.
Dr Rangi highlighted how CABI – since the 1980s – has enjoyed high-level strategic and on the ground collaboration with the Ministry for Environment, Agriculture and Livestock.
He said CABI’s work with Burundi, who became a valued member country in 2001, has included the Good Seed Initiative, the management of maize lethal necrosis in East and Central Africa, and the Australia-Africa Plant Biosecurity Partnership.
Agriculture is a cornerstone of Burundi’s economy, employing four in five people. The sector primarily revolves around subsistence farming, with family farming providing 95 percent of the food supply.
Lower risk pest management advocated
The main crops grown include coffee, tea, maize and beans. But limited access to modern farming techniques, crop pests and diseases, fluctuating commodity prices and climate change affect productivity and livelihoods.
A Plantwise baseline survey in 2021, combined with subsequent monitoring, found that the most important challenge to crop production in Burundi includes pests and diseases (74%) and the prohibitive cost of inputs (67%).
Dr Vos said CABI’s work to assist Burundi includes working to improve access to timely and accurate agricultural advisory services. This includes better access for women, as well as improving phytosanitary services through more effective prevention and management of regulated pests.
Both Dr Rangi and Dr Vos further highlighted how PlantwisePlus in Burundi aims to empower smallholder farmers to produce more food using sustainable crop production practices, and with a vision to reach 75% of these farmers across the country by 2030.
By then, at least half a million farmers will experience increased yields nationwide and it is foreseen that a 20% increase in exports from improved phytosanitary measures will be realized.
Adopting climate-smart and agroecological farming principles
Meanwhile, the Koppert Foundation recently started a transformative three-year project in Cibitoke, West Burundi, in partnership with ZOA. A news story, on the Koppert website, states that this initiative supports smallholder farmers in adopting climate-smart and agroecological farming principles to enhance food security, increase production, and improve livelihoods.
Using the Participatory Integrated Planning (PIP) approach, developed by Wageningen University and Research, the project motivates farmers to envision and plan for their future. By fostering a mentality shift, the approach encourages households to set tangible goals, meticulously plan activities, and manage income and expenditures collectively.
The project aims to train 3,300 farmers in sustainable farming methods, establish farmer associations and cooperatives to help growers market their products, and strengthen governmental agricultural extension services at the district level. These efforts are designed to ensure long-term support and sustainable development for Burundian agriculture.
Koppert’s mission is to contribute to the better health of people and the planet. In partnership with nature, they make agriculture healthier, safer, and more productive. They provide an integrated system of specialist knowledge and natural, safe solutions that improve crop health, resilience, and production.
Additional information
Main image: From left to right: Bram Klapwijk (Koppert), Janny Vos (CABI), Paul Koppert (Koppert), H.E. Isabelle Ndahayo, Johannette Klapwijk (Koppert).
Visit to EOSTA
Following the visit to the Koppert Foundation, Dr Vos also accompanied H.E. Madame Isabelle Ndahayo to visit and meet with EOSTA – an importer, packer and distributor of organically grown fresh produce, which is based in The Netherlands.
Relevant stories
‘Burundi steps up training efforts to meet country’s need for more Plantwise plant doctors.’
‘Plantwise programme made considerable progress to help strengthen plant health systems in Burundi.’
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