Kugwiza: Improving livelihoods of low-income farmers through widespread adoption of innovative livestock production practices in Burundi

On the rolling hills of Gitega, Karusi, Ruyigi, and Muramvya provinces in Burundi, where the vibrant landscape is painted with lush greenery, a transformation is taking root.

The Accelerated Innovation Delivery Initiative in the Great Lakes Region project, renamed and known as Kugwiza in Burundi, is set to improve the livelihoods of low-income farmers through the widespread adoption of innovative agricultural practices, with a particular focus on livestock production.

In particular, Kugwiza aims to introduce 18,000 Sasso chickens to 3600 deserving farmers in these provinces.

When a team from the General Directorate of Livestock in Burundi and the International Livestock Research Institute visited beneficiary farmers from 16–20 January 2024 to evaluate the reach of the project, the gratitude of the beneficiaries was evident.

Candide Nshimirimana, a resident of Kibimba Hill in Gitega Province, expressed the sentiments of many, stating, ‘We greatly appreciate the Kugwiza project which brought us these chickens. Even if we have not yet noticed any benefit from this breeding, in a few months, the breeding of these chickens will be more beneficial to us by providing for our needs and improving our living conditions.’

Photo: Domesticated guinea fowl in the early morning in Muchamba Village, Tete Province, Mozambique (ILRI/Stevie Mann)