World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

Overview

Fifteen years of civil war since 1993, combined with extreme poverty, a fragile political process and recurrent climatic shocks, have had a strongly negative impact on Burundi’s economic and nutrition indicators.

Only 28 percent of the population is food-secure and as many as 60 percent are chronically malnourished. Food security for the majority of Burundians has not improved in recent years, despite a gradual return to peace. Average annual food deficits in Burundi range from 350,000 to over 450,000 metric tons (in cereal equivalent and after commercial imports and food assistance) against an annual average requirement of 1,718,000 tons, while food production has stagnated at pre-1993 levels. With a population growth rate of nearly three percent per year, per capita agricultural production has declined by 24 percent since 1993.