Local Observations of Climate Change and Adaptation Responses: A Case Study in the Mountain Region of Burundi-Rwanda
Aline Nkurunziza,
Dorine Intwarinkase Mutaganzwa,
Willy Marcel Ndayitwayeko,
Jacques Nkengurutse,
Beth A. Kaplin,
Irene Teixidor Toneu,
Noelia Zafra-Calvo,
Aida Cuni-Sanchez
Affiliations
Aline Nkurunziza
High School of Business, University of Burundi, Bujumbura P.O. Box 1440, Burundi
Dorine Intwarinkase Mutaganzwa
Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management, University of Rwanda, Kigali P.O. Box 4285, Rwanda
Willy Marcel Ndayitwayeko
University Research Centre for Economic and Social Development (CURDES), Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Burundi, Bujumbura P.O. Box 1049, Burundi
Jacques Nkengurutse
Center of Research in Natural and Environmental Sciences, Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Burundi, Bujumbura P.O. Box 2700, Burundi
Beth A. Kaplin
Center of Excellence in Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management, University of Rwanda, Kigali P.O. Box 4285, Rwanda
Irene Teixidor Toneu
Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie Marine et Continentale (IMBE), Aix-Marseille University, Avignon University, 13007 Marseille, France
Noelia Zafra-Calvo
Basque Centre for Climate Change bc3, Scientific Campus of the University of the Basque Country, 48940 Leioa, Spain
Aida Cuni-Sanchez
Department of International Environment and Development Studies (Noragric), Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1430 Ås, Norway
Mountain regions and their communities are particularly vulnerable to climate change impacts. However, little is known on the impacts observed and adaptation responses used in Burundi’s mountain region and if these are different to those reported in the contiguous mountain region of Rwanda. This paper aims to fill in these knowledge gaps. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 300 smallholder farmers, 150 in northern Burundi and 150 in southern Rwanda. Farmers in both countries reported negative impacts on crops, animals, and human health, with small differences between countries driven by the main cultivated crops. More adaptation strategies were used in Burundi than in Rwanda, and more farmers in Burundi were using multiple strategies. In both countries, farmers’ wealth affected farmers’ adaptation responses and their food security. Notably, for all wealth groups (poor, average, rich), food security was lower in Rwanda than in Burundi. We relate our findings to current agricultural intensification policies in both countries and argue for the greater involvement of local farmers in adaptation planning using, for example, science-with-society approaches.
