The scope of small scale agriculture in tackling food insecurity challenges in rural Burundi

With increasing pressure on land, poor land management and subsequent land degradation, rural communities in many sub-Saharan countries face structural food insecurity. This is also the case in Burundi where smallholder farmers operate in an environment of incomplete and poorly functioning markets for everything from land, labour and credit to commodities, risk and information. Moreover, agricultural support policies to overcome these market failures are limited. Hence, as survival strategies small-scale subsistence farmers have adopted farming practices that maximize their output given the poor resource base: crops are mixed, small livestock is integrated with crop production, marginal lands are taken into production and livelihoods are diversified with off-farm activities. Yet, despite these strategies, several studies (e.g., Baghadadli et al., 2008; Ahishakiye, 2011, Niragira, 2011) pointed out the persistence of both poverty and hunger. This paper investigates the impact of livestock rearing on farm productivity and the overall household food security situation. Several programs of livestock rehabilitation are being implemented in the countryside and we want to assess the potential effect of these programs at household level. Data were collected among 240 households located in three Northern provinces of Burundi in 2012, and households with cattle are compared with households that do not own cattle. Results highlight how important livestock keeping is as a marker for food security. Livestock keeping stands among the major factors influencing the production techniques that improve soil fertility like the use of manure, composting and soil erosion control mechanisms, and thereby improving household food production levels. However, quasi-landless farms are not targeted by the livestock rehabilitation programs, and they continue to endure problems of insufficient production. They have to diversify in off and non-farm activities in order to earn the money necessary to buy food and to cover additional family expenses. Hence, improved access to the markets for both agricultural products and labour remains a key factor for the benefit of rich and poor households.status: publishe