Study on inclusive and sustainable production and supply systems for healthy school food in Burundi

The Government of Burundi has been committed to developing a school feeding program based on local procurement since 2013. However, the program still relies mainly on imported food (60%), the nutritional quality of school meals is low, the agricultural groups involved in supplying school food suffer from difficulties in accessing funding — a problem particularly affecting women — and the groups are given little encouragement to adopt agroecological practices that would ensure their long-term resilience and sustainability.

This project aims to increase the supply of sustainable and nutritious local produce to Burundi's school canteens, with the ultimate objective of improving farmers' incomes, contribute to the resilience of food systems and improve the nutritional quality of school meals. It will establish a multidimensional diagnosis of school food supply systems, develop nutritious school menus adapted to the three main socio-ecological regions of the country, test gender-sensitive innovations to improve the quality and preservation of maize, rice, beans and cassava, and pilot new contract modalities between farmers and schools. The innovations will be scaled at the territorial and national levels through knowledge sharing and engagement with key stakeholders and national policymakers.

This project is part of the Catalyzing Resilient, Inclusive and Sustainable Procurement for School Food initiative, a cohort of projects that aim to catalyze the adoption and scaling-up of regenerative, equitable and inclusive practices in school meal supply systems in Africa, with the ultimate goal of contributing to the agroecological transition of local and national food systems.