Burundi launches $268 million Bridep agropastoral project
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Iwacu
Burundi has launched the Bridep project to support climate-resilient agriculture and livestock farming, with planned interventions for maize, rice, poultry and pigs. Coordinator Bonaventure Gakukwe puts its funding at $128 million, alongside $134 million from the government and $6 million to $7 million from beneficiaries, Iwacu reports.
Burundi has launched the Bridep project, an agropastoral programme focused on climate-resilient crop production and livestock farming. Its total funding is reported to be $268 million, including $134 million from the government, according to figures provided by project officials. Coordinator Bonaventure Gakukwe said $128 million came from international partners, while beneficiaries would contribute between $6 million and $7 million.
The project will support maize and rice cultivation, as well as poultry and pig farming. It plans to develop three irrigated marshlands covering 1,735 hectares and hillsides covering 9,199 hectares in Bujumbura Province, said Léonard Butoyi, an assistant at the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Livestock.
Bridep will also support the preservation and processing of harvests, develop agro-food processing activities and rehabilitate roads to improve access to markets. The project targets 120,000 households, including 80,000 in Bujumbura Province and 40,000 in Gitega Province, representing 600,000 people. Half of the beneficiaries will be women and 30% young people, Butoyi said.
The launch comes amid agricultural and climate challenges in Burundi, where the government authorised the import of fertiliser in response to shortages on 22 October 2026.
