Burundi employs plants to curb landslides – Dialogue Earth

Report on the Burundi Landscape Restoration and Resilience Project and its Contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals

1.0 Introduction: Addressing Environmental and Socio-Economic Vulnerabilities

Burundi, a densely populated nation in central Africa, faces critical environmental challenges directly impacting its development trajectory. The country’s topography, characterized by steep, long slopes, combined with deforestation for fuel and agriculture, renders it highly susceptible to soil erosion and landslides. These vulnerabilities are intensified by climate change, which exacerbates both drought and heavy rainfall events. This situation poses a significant threat to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including:

• SDG 15 (Life on Land): Between 2017 and 2020, 1.2% of Burundi’s land became acutely degraded, undermining ecosystem stability.
• SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): Erosion and landslides disproportionately affect rural communities (*collines*), damaging infrastructure, destroying cropland, and limiting access to food and humanitarian aid, thereby threatening livelihoods and food security.

In response, the Government of Burundi initiated the five-year Landscape Restoration and Resilience Project in 2018 to combat land degradation and build resilience, aligning national efforts with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

2.0 Project Framework and Collaborative Partnerships (SDG 17)

The Landscape Restoration and Resilience Project exemplifies a multi-stakeholder approach, crucial for achieving SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). The project was financed and overseen by the World Bank, with implementation involving a consortium of partners:

• The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation
• Academic institutions, including the University of Florence
• Government bodies, such as the Burundi Road Agency (ARB)
• Local communities and farmers

This collaborative framework ensured the integration of international best practices, scientific research, and local knowledge. The project initially covered 22 *collines* (13,000 hectares) and was later extended to nine additional communities with funding from the Global Environment Facility.

3.0 Methodologies for Climate Action and Ecosystem Restoration (SDG 13 & SDG 15)

The project employed nature-based solutions and bioengineering techniques to restore degraded landscapes, directly contributing to SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). Key interventions included:

1. Terracing and Strategic Planting: The introduction of terracing on sloped farmland, along with the planting of grasses, shrubs, and trees, was implemented to reinforce soil structure. The root systems bind the soil, while the vegetation increases water absorption, slowing surface run-off and mitigating erosion.
2. Soil and Water Bioengineering: The project utilized low-cost, locally sourced materials to stabilize slopes. A notable example is the construction of a “crib wall” in Isare commune to rehabilitate a landslide. This structure, built from naturally deceased eucalyptus timber and filled with soil and live plant cuttings, provides a cost-effective and sustainable alternative to concrete retaining walls. As the plants take root, they assume the primary role of soil stabilization.

4.0 Assessed Impacts on Sustainable Development Goals

The project has yielded tangible results across multiple SDGs, improving the well-being and resilience of participating communities.

• SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): The project has significantly enhanced food security and nutrition.
  • Farmers were trained in improved agricultural practices, including the use of selected seeds and bio-pesticides.
  • The distribution of certified biofortified seeds, particularly beans rich in iron, zinc, and vitamin A, has improved nutritional outcomes.
  • Restored land productivity has enabled families to produce enough food for consumption and a surplus to sell at local markets.
• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): Community members reported improved health outcomes, particularly among children, which they attribute to a more nutritious and consistent diet resulting from the project’s interventions.
• SDG 1 (No Poverty): By restoring agricultural land and increasing yields, the project has strengthened the primary livelihood for rural families and provided new income-generating opportunities through the sale of surplus produce.
• SDG 15 (Life on Land): The project has made direct contributions to halting and reversing land degradation. The strategic planting of trees, fodder crops, and shrubs has led to the visible re-greening of hillsides, creating an integrated system where vegetation protects soil, feeds livestock, and generates manure for fertilization.

5.0 Conclusion: Scalability and Future Outlook

The success of the bioengineering techniques in Burundi suggests their potential for application in other regions of central Africa facing similar challenges of land degradation and climate change. The project serves as a model for implementing solutions that are cost-effective, locally adaptable, and aligned with nature. However, challenges such as rapid population growth and intensive farming practices persist. Continued success and scalability depend on a concerted approach that integrates research, policy, and community participation, reinforcing the principle of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals) as fundamental to achieving sustainable development in vulnerable ecosystems.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger: The article focuses on improving food security and nutrition for rural communities by introducing sustainable agricultural practices and biofortified crops, leading to food surplus.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: It highlights how improved nutrition, specifically from biofortified beans, has led to better health outcomes, with families reporting less illness.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: The project directly addresses the impacts of climate change, such as exacerbated drought and heavy rainfall, by implementing measures to strengthen the resilience of landscapes and communities against climate-related hazards like landslides and soil erosion.
• SDG 15: Life on Land: This is a central theme, as the entire project is aimed at combating land degradation, restoring degraded landscapes, halting soil erosion, and promoting revegetation to protect terrestrial ecosystems.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The article explicitly mentions the collaborative nature of the project, involving international organizations (World Bank, UN Food and Agriculture Organisation), academic institutions (University of Florence, University of Burundi), government agencies (Burundi Road Agency), and local communities.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 2: Zero Hunger

  • Target 2.1: End hunger and ensure access to safe, nutritious and sufficient food. The article supports this by describing how local inhabitants “now have enough to eat and even have a surplus to sell at the market” and have access to “biofortified beans” rich in essential minerals.
  • Target 2.4: Ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices. The project implements terracing, planting of grasses and trees to bind soil, and training farmers to “use selected seeds, follow the crop calendar and spacing guidelines, and apply disease control methods using bio-pesticides,” which are all resilient and sustainable practices that improve land and soil quality.

• SDG 13: Climate Action

  • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters. The project’s core mission is to make the landscape more resilient to the effects of climate change, which “is destabilising the soil further by exacerbating both drought and heavy rainfall.” Techniques like building crib walls and revegetation are direct actions to adapt to and mitigate the risk of landslides and erosion.

• SDG 15: Life on Land

  • Target 15.3: Combat desertification, restore degraded land and soil, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world. The article directly addresses this target by describing the “five-year project… to restore degraded landscapes and prevent further erosion.” It notes that “1.2% of Burundi’s land was acutely degraded between 2017 and 2020,” and the project’s actions are a direct response to reverse this trend.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  • Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships. The article exemplifies this target by detailing the project’s structure: “financed and overseen by the World Bank and involved many partner organisations, including the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation.” It also highlights local collaboration involving “the public, universities and research centres, as well as technicians from the Burundi Road Agency.”

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicators for SDG 15 (Life on Land)

  • Proportion of land that is degraded (Indicator 15.3.1): The article provides a baseline figure: “1.2% of Burundi’s land was acutely degraded between 2017 and 2020.” The success of the project can be measured by a reduction in this percentage over time.
  • Area of land restored: The article mentions the project’s scope, which “impacted 22 collines covering 13,000 hectares” and was later expanded. This serves as a direct indicator of the scale of restoration efforts.
  • Increase in vegetation cover: A qualitative indicator is mentioned when a farmer states that “the hills are regaining their greenery,” implying a measurable increase in vegetation.
  • Plant survival rate and species diversity: The academic assessment of the crib wall experiment “found a relatively good survival rate for the plants” but also noted that too much of one grass species was “reducing species diversity.” Both are specific, measurable ecological indicators.

• Indicators for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)

  • Food availability and surplus: The statement that inhabitants “now have enough to eat and even have a surplus to sell at the market” implies a shift from food scarcity to food security and economic opportunity, which can be measured through household surveys on food consumption and income.
  • Improved nutrition: The introduction of “biofortified beans that are rich in essential minerals such as iron, zinc and vitamin A” implies an effort to reduce micronutrient deficiencies, which can be measured through health and nutrition surveys.

• Indicators for SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being)

  • Reduction in illness: The testimony, “Before, my children and I often fell ill. Today, we are in good health,” implies a reduction in morbidity rates, which can be tracked through local health data.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: dialogue.earth