Browsing by Author "Kabuhungu Jean B"

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    Climate Variability and Food Security in Gatumba Zone, Burundi
    (NDU-K, 2024) Kabuhungu Jean B
    Millions of people across the globe are facing hunger, thus the food security question dominates discussions in global forums today. The growing problem of food insecurity in many nations is attributed to climate variability as the major factor contributing to the declining performance of the agricultural sector in Africa and abroad. Climate variability is observed in the forms of variations in precipitation, temperature, wind patterns and other climate parameters. To establish the link between climate variability and food security, this study undertook to establish the effect of climate variability on food security in Burundi, with a specific focus on Gatumba Zone. The study assessed the effect of droughts on farm productivity in Gatumba Zone, the extent that floods affect agriculture in Gatumba Zone, and lastly, the climate variability coping strategies practiced by farmers to address food security challenges in Gatumba Zone. This study was justified because it can add to the limited research available on the implication of climate variability on food security in Gatumba Zone and to shed light on the challenges of unpredictable climatic conditions on the survival of people. This study was guided by Food Availability Decline theory and the Theory of Change and anchored on case study research design. Both primary and secondary data were utilized in this study. Questionnaires and interviews with key informants were used to collect primary data, while secondary sources included government publications, reports, scholarly articles, newspaper, books, and web links. It was determined that the impact of climate variability on food security is significant. The data collected revealed that farm productivity is affected by droughts. This research found that the drought spells in this region were frequent and had significant effects on farmers’ planting decisions, thereby affecting the area’s overall farm productivity. It was determined that at the onset of a dry spell, some farmers opt out of planting entirely, while others reduce their planned planting acreage because of the fear of low production. The study established that recurring floods were the major problem in Gatumba Zone as reported by a majority of the respondents. The floods were found to affect the performance of the agriculture sector in this region because they destroyed crops and farms and also occasioned the displacement of farmers, which interrupts their farming activities. It was also determined that farmers in Gatumba Zone undertook diverse strategies to enhance resilience against droughts and floods. Among the strategies were planting of early maturing crops, irrigation, installing a water harvesting system, and mixed crop farming. The study recommends enhanced government investment in dams and water pans to harvest the flood waters which can be used for irrigation during the dry season. The study also recommends increased mobilization of financial resources by the government and other partners to support farmers coping mechanism aimed at addressing climate variability dynamics which affect food security.