Burundi Interim Country Strategic Plan (2022–2024)

ICSP approved at EB February 2022 Session

Revision 01 approved by the CD in November 2022

Revision 02 approved by the RD in September 2023

Burundi continues to face successive shocks that constrain its capacity to achieve sustainable food and nutrition security. These shocks prevent the achievement of sustainable economic growth, which relies largely on agriculture. Gross domestic product growth is insufficient to catch up with one of the highest population growth rates in sub-Saharan Africa.

Food and nutrition security are restrained by poverty, population growth, land and environmental degradation and gender inequality in access to resources. Chronic malnutrition and anaemia rates among children under 5 remain high. The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic is having a severe impact on the economy and the livelihoods of Burundians and is likely to deepen poverty. Shock-responsive social protection is increasingly recognized as a crucial means of meeting these challenges.

Through this interim country strategic plan, WFP will support government policies, strategies, institutions, operating systems and programmes that support resilient, nutritious and gender-transformative food systems; it will meet and reduce the humanitarian, nutrition and resilience needs of targeted populations by addressing the underlying factors and structural drivers of food insecurity and malnutrition. The major strategic shift is the adoption of a sustainable food systems approach to resilience building and stronger integration of the five strategic outcomes. Strengthened capacity of the Government of Burundi to implement shock-responsive safety nets will be a core component of improved food systems, contributing to the increased resilience of people vulnerable to shocks and the reduced need for WFP emergency response. An innovative home-grown school feeding programme will support increased local food production and processing, which will enhance smallholder farmers’ capacity to meet an increased demand for quality and nutritious foods. Interventions aimed at addressing malnutrition will increasingly be linked to local food value chains and nutrition-sensitive and gender-transformative activities. A substantial increase in cash-based transfers will support the shift while a focus on social and behaviour change communication, gender, protection and accountability to affected populations will cut across activities.

This interim country strategic plan is aligned with the priorities of the national development plan for 2018‒2027, the National Programme for the Capitalization of Peace, Social Stability and the Promotion of Economic Growth (2021‒2025), relevant sector plans, the United Nations development assistance framework for 2019‒2023 and the 2021 humanitarian response plan. It will contribute to Strategic Results 1, 2, 4, 5 and 8 of the WFP Strategic Plan (2017‒2021) and Sustainable Development Goals 2 and 17 through five strategic outcomes: 

➢ Strategic outcome 1: Shock-affected populations in targeted areas, Burundi returnees, internally displaced persons and refugees in camps can meet their basic food needs all year round.

➢ Strategic outcome 2: Children age 6‒59 months, adolescent girls, pregnant and lactating women, people living with HIV and tuberculosis clients in targeted provinces have improved nutrition status throughout the year.

➢ Strategic outcome 3: Vulnerable populations, including school-age children and food value chain actors in Burundi, have access to and contribute to healthier, resilient, nutrition-sensitive and gender-transformative food systems by 2024.

➢ Strategic outcome 4: Government and national actors in Burundi have strengthened capacities, systems and services by 2024.

➢ Strategic outcome 5: The Government of Burundi and humanitarian and development partners can reach vulnerable people and respond to needs and emergencies throughout the year