CO- Oxam Novib

General

The overall objective of this project is to contribute to the empowerment of local Oxfam partners in the sound management of ecosystems and resilience to the effects of climate change.Land degradation and the persistent decline in fertility of already poor and acidic soils are the main obstacles to agricultural productivity in Burundi. The high population density and the high rate of demographic growth (over 3% / year; Population projections 2010-2050 National and Provincial Level, ISTEEBU; April 2017) exert enormous pressure on the use of cultivable land. This pressure is all the stronger as agriculture remains the main occupation of the majority of the Burundian population, cultivating small plots (0.5 ha / family), which cover about 50% of the territory. Climate change is worsening the situation as Burundi's capacity to cope with climate shocks remains extremely low.In addition, the high demographics of thepopulation lead to reduced soil fertility through overexploitation of existing agricultural areas and increased use of marginal land for agriculture, in addition to deforestation and loss of biodiversity. The lack of adequate management of soil fertility at the family farm scale and at the landscape scale favors the maintenance of the vicious circle of land degradation with the consequent drop in productivity. agriculture, farmers' incomes and food and nutrition security of farm households.The main implementing partners of the project are: Oxfam in Burundi and its local partners who have a perfect understanding of the challenges and possibilities of Burundian agriculture thanks to their strong involvement in the agricultural sector, both scientific and practical. scale of the individual family farm, group, IGG (mutual aid and solidarity groups) and/ or cooperative.This project will focus its actions on the empowerment of local partners so that they can scale the achievements of the PRCCRCC project of the 1st phase by basing itself above all on the hill community visions developed in collaboration with the beneficiaries as well as actions linked to agroecology on familyfarms. The focus will be on three sectors: ecological agriculture (choice of agricultural inputs, cultivation techniques, post-harvest techniques, packaging and marketing), energy and the political framework. Ecological agriculture: the project will focus on theuse of organic matter, biofertilizers, bio pesticides to increase family production, erosion control through soil protection and agroforestry systems; valorization of biomass and increase of soil fertility; intensification of peasant food crops and promotion of cover crops resilient to climate change, development of short-cycle varieties, reduction of the use of synthetic agricultural inputs;reduction of losses and runoff of rain and residual water as well as optimization of its use for agricultural purposes. Energy: this involves the promotion of improved mobile and fixed wood and charcoal stoves, as well as action research on other technologies and the use of other energy sources. Political framework: this mainly involves improving communication through information, training and research and development to strengthen the capacities of stakeholders at all levels in taking into account the effects of climate change and promoting agroecology at the central (public policies, sector strategies, etc.) and local (communities, local communitydevelopment plans, communities, etc.) level, based on the popularization of the advances already made (establishment of a legal framework, institutional framework, the various tools and structures, etc.). The project will also work in participatory action research to find with the beneficiaries mechanisms, technologies and other tools that can be valued at the local level to mitigate the effects of climate change on households and the promotion of agroecology. These mechanisms will focus on agroecology, energy, water management and organic products. Indeed, it has been observed that mechanisms aiming at resilience have been developed in certain cases to counter the possible effects of climate change (seed stock, staggered sowing, commercial breeding, etc.) but the field of investigation remains quite wide. especially with regard to water management, maintenance of soil fertility.