Montreal, October 10, 2023 – Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada is proud to announce the launch of a new project in Burundi, entitled Resilience System based on Agroecology and Self-advancement (SRAA for its French acronym). This three-year project is funded by the Government of Quebec as part of the Programme de cooperation climatique internationale (PCCI, International Climate Cooperation Program), under the 2030 Green Economy Plan.
The SRAA project will be implemented in the provinces of Kirundo and Muyinga in collaboration with our local partner, Appui au Développement Intégral et la Solidarité sur les Collines (ADISCO). The aim is to develop a resilience system based on agroecology and self-help as a means of adapting to and mitigating climate change. Around 7,000 people will be reached through one or more of the following project components:
- Strengthening the organizational and governance capacities of agricultural cooperatives
- Integrating research results from Burundian and Quebec institutions to enable communities to take charge of the fight against climate change and food insecurity through mobilization and the multiple socioeconomic links the project will create and reinforce
- Fostering network and institutional dialogue, especially with women and young people, through the adoption of sustainable practices and development plans that incroporate agroecology
Libère Bukobero, secretary general of ADISCO, said, “The support of Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada through the PCCI is a further milestone in the consolidation of peace and local food systems, an eloquent testimony to global solidarity in the fight against hunger and climate change.”
The medium-term objectives being pursued with agricultural producers and civil society are:
- The adoption of agroecology as a means of adapting to the impacts of climate change and securing basic needs
- The integration of technical information and research results into climate change adaptation practices, especially among women, young people and children
- The integration by local authorities and civil society organizations of agroecology into environmental governance as a means of adapting to and mitigating the impacts of climate
Program manager Cécile Famerée said, “This support from the ministry and donors to Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada is contributing to the emergence of a social movement in Burundi that is centred on agroecology as a response to the challenges of food sovereignty and climate change.”
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About Development and Peace – Caritas Canada
Development and Peace — Caritas Canada is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada. It works in partnership with local organizations in over 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin American and the Middle East to create greater justice in the world and to act in solidarity with the most vulnerable people.
For more information, contact:
Minaz Kerawala
Communications and Public Relations Advisor
Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada
514 257-8710 ext. 328 | mkerawala@devp.org
