Harvest time in Burundi - the most hungriest country in the World

Burundi is the hungriest country on the planet with 73% of Burundians undernourished (Source: Global Health Index 2013). Here we take a look at Burundian harvests and what we're doing to support families.

Did you know, there are 4 main harvest seasons in Burundi:

• The little rain season (October-December)
• The little dry season (January)
• The big rain season (February-June)
• The big dry season (July-September).

What Burundians harvest and when:

October: Tomatoes, onions, cabbages, potatoes and sweet potatoes.

January: Beans and maize which are the main basic foods in Burundi.   

April: Oranges

June: Beans, maize, rice, coffee, peanuts, coffee and cotton

All year: Banana, tea, and cassava

Burundi is one of the hungriest countries on the planet

62% of children under 5 are chronically malnourished (the emergency level is 40%

35% of children are underweight (World Health Organisation threshold is 21%)

How some Burundians celebrate Harvest

Having meat is one way of celebrating harvest as usually meat is not in the daily diet. The second way of celebrating harvest is to get new clothes (the husbands buy for their for wives and children).

Climate change is destroying crops

The harvest has been so bad the last few years, especially because of the climate changes and unpredictability. In some seasons the rain simply stopped before the harvest had matured but then in some months the rain was unseasonably heavy and destroyed crops.

How Cord is helping Burundians get access to food

We’re supporting Burundi’s marginalised Batwa community to lift themselves out of poverty and put an end to hunger through agriculture. Your donations help provide:

• Banana plants
• Farming goats
• Good husbandry practices

 
£36 buys two goats for a Burundian family. Goats provide milk to improve the family's nutrition,  organic fertiliser to improve the crops - and they will also reproduce, providing opportunities to sell live goats at market. Your gift provides a pair of goats and two vet kits to support the health of the animals. 

Click here to BUY A GOAT IN OUR SHOP