The majority of Burundians are smallholder farmers facing serious constraints that will be further exacerbated under climate change. Most Burundian agricultural systems are highly vulnerable to climate hazards, including flooding, landslides, water deficit, drought, and erratic rainfall (both in terms of shifting precipitation patterns across time and space and the rapid coupling of drought and torrential rain in the same area).
In the next 10 to 30 years, changes in precipitation patterns, increased temperatures, and protracted dry seasons are expected to have significant implications for productivity, crop suitability, and food security.
Domestic demand for basic food products will continue to outpace supply resulting in increased import dependence for most key commodities, particularly livestock. Emergency response and resilience programming will be essential for preventing loss in the face of extreme events and for supporting smallholders in the creation of economic, environmental, social, and cultural assets. Reinforcing early warning system capacities and developing or improving supply chain logistics, transportation, and storage systems will play prominent roles in such efforts. Climate resiliency offers several leverage points for strengthening integration between various WFP activities. Potential programmatic and financial partnerships with other countries addressing similar climate challenges, local public and private actors whose work can be scaled up to forge more robust and efficient value chains, and national experts conducting on-the-ground research and development may prove particularly promising for activities that address the root causes of climate impact at a meaningful scale.