BUJUMBURA December 1st (ABP) – “The deterioration of Burundian arable soil is one of the major challenges facing the agricultural sector”. These are the words of Dr. Ir. Valence Ndayisenga, Dean of the Faculty of Agronomy at the University of Ngozi who spoke on Tuesday, November 29, 2022 on the sidelines of the 2nd day of the 2nd edition of the fair dedicated to innovation which takes place in Bujumbura, the economic capital of Burundi.
According to him, the cultivable soils are so deteriorated to such an extent that Burundi currently has 70% of its cultivable soils which are acidic. An acid soil cannot nourish the plant, which means that the latter cannot draw the nutrients necessary for its growth, which consequently leads to a drop in production.
According to him, the financing of that sector is also another important challenge: “We have a small financing compared to the needs”, he lamented. To those challenges already mentioned which haunt the Burundian agricultural sector, the expert lists others, in that case climate change which leads to persistent droughts, floods and rainfall disturbances. Added to all those challenges are the difficult accesses to improved seeds that are only used by 10% of Burundian farmers.
However, the expert positively appreciates the fact that young Burundians are beginning to invest in innovation in the agricultural sector: “We are very happy to have young innovators who are beginning to join the campaign to innovate in the agricultural sector. I even encourage other young Burundians to get involved in that sector so that this good practice is popularized throughout the country,” he said.