GITEGA July 12th (ABP) – The head of the office in charge of social and cultural affairs in the institution of the Prime Minister of Burundi, Mr. Xavier Ngendakumana, launched on Friday in Gitega the provincial consultations on food systems as part of Burundi’s preparation for participation in the world summit on nutrition for development actors from many ministries and other socio-economic sectors of the country.
The goal of those provincial consultations is to mobilize all the stakeholders of the Burundian food systems to contribute effectively to the reflections on policies and high impact interventions to develop adequate national strategies allowing qualitative, sustainable, nutritional and resilient food systems.
The ultimate goal is for Burundi to achieve the national and international Sustainable Development Goals through efficient food systems, Mr. Ngendakumana said.
He went on to explain that those consultations are organized by the multisectoral platform of the Prime Minister’s Office responsible for analyzing ways and means of fighting against malnutrition and improving agricultural production.
The expected result at the end of those consultations, planned in all the provinces of Burundi, is to involve all social categories of the people and all stakeholders in the field of agriculture and nutrition in the diagnosis of the state of play of food systems and therefore adopt appropriate strategies to facilitate access to safe and nutritious food for all.
They are also called upon to work together to propose useful strategies taking into account the lines of the National Development Plan (PND 2018-2027) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The head of the office of social and cultural affairs at the Prime Minister’s Office thus called on all stakeholders in the Burundian food systems to carry out fruitful discussions to adopt strategies promoting the improvement of food systems by introducing appropriate reforms to boost and accelerate the collective journey aimed at strengthening food security.
During consultations on the state of food security in Burundi, participants noted that initiatives are recorded but that efforts are still needed to ensure suitable, more inclusive and resilient food systems.
They reported that the majority of rural people have deficits in balanced diets. They therefore deemed it necessary to ensure a broad awareness on the promotion of transformative structures in order to make Burundian food systems more inclusive and resilient in the face of demographic gallops and limited production factors aggravated by poor management of natural resources and effects of climate change.
They appreciated the government’s commitment to mobilize the people to work in synergy to increase production. They were also delighted with the emergence of Associations and cooperatives of farmers and pastoralists but recommended encouraging members of cooperatives to undertake innovative and profitable activities.
They also recommended to the administrative authorities and other development actors to sensitize the people to family planning to overcome the demographic challenges, in this case, the dwindling of arable land. They also recommended the involvement of all development leaders in the rational management of arable land; to a wide popularization of cultivation methods. They also proposed the availability of agricultural inputs in sufficient quantity and the sensitization of the farmers on their use, the good conservation of agricultural products, the protection of the environment and healthy food.