The areas of livelihoods of Bugesera, Buyenzi, Congo Nile and High Alpine had generally very favorable rainfall during the 2013A season, which allowed a relative stability of the level of agricultural production by last year. Nevertheless, structural constraints that have not always found lasting solutions limit community initiatives even in times of favorable climatic conditions. The main constraints are dependence on the agricultural sector for almost all households and the low level of urbanization which results in high density of population, very low access to land, food prices that are hovering at very high levels, fertility, etc. In wetlands (Buyenzi and Kirimiro natural regions), almost 35% of households farms of less than 0.2 ha and per capita agricultural production is the lowest in the country up to 438 kg EC / household / year in the Kayanza province. This area is most affected by the structural constraints reported in the country.

In the depressions of the eastern part of the country (Moso), the population of the area lives mainly on agriculture, while considering that cassava, rice and bananas are the main crops sources of income and food. The land in the area is very sensitive to the water deficiency due to their clay-like and sandy texture. Bacterial wilt and water deficit caused a fall in production, compared to last year. The population of the area lives mainly thanks to cassava, rice and bananas as main crops, sources of income and feed, which means that the BXW causes a considerable loss of income. In addition, the zone counts most of the returnees whose reintegration process is more or less slow, especially for those who have been displaced for a long time (1972). The Kabarore commune of the High Altitude zone remains classified in IPC Phase 3 (Crisis) because of the structural problems including soil infertility, severe land erosion and a very dense population.

Moreover, the food deficit remains high, ie 358,309 tons of cereal equivalents (EC) during the first half of 2013, food prices have risen steadily as household purchasing power has decreased. This situation linked to the low availability of stocks in households on the one hand and low access to inputs at the start of the season essentially for vulnerable households, on the other. This period also coincides with the lean period which is accompanied by rising food prices in the market and risks raising the level of malnutrition.

In addition to households in IPC Phase 3 crisis, returnees recently returned from Tanzania, people settled on different sites (Integrated Rural Villages and others) and the households of the Ruzyege hill, Busoni commune, from the natural reserve of Murehe, deserve special attention due to the shortage of access to land and drinking water.

There are now population estimates available for this analysis.

This food security analysis guided by the IPC, the 12th in Burundi and the 3rd with reference to version 2 of the Manual, consolidated some lessons.

• It is important to note that the final results of the analysis with versions 1 and 2 of IPC are coherent and preserve technical harmony. More technical rigor, clarity, documentary standards required  by version 2 are the main reason for the longer time needed to conduct analysis with the new version.
• For the first time, the analysis had the merit of addressing the projected situation (July to September 2013), which should be reviewed in June 2013.
• Other lessons learned from this workshop show that the strengthening of performance indicators is one of the challenges. Only the food consumption score and the CSI collected by the WFP constitute direct evidence of the need to update other direct evidence related to the outcome indicators for more confidence in the analysis. Therefore, a more objective orientation, determining the number of populations in food crisis in the livelihood zone chosen as a unit of analysis must be refined. Likewise, training on the analysis of the situation and support for the analysis of the projected situation are particularly required to better IPC in Burundi. Moreover, it should be noted that the results of the agricultural surveys that are beginning to be available have been used to provide more reliable data to analysts to improve their product (state of food safety). Workshops to disseminate results should be combined with work to analyze the response actions to communities in critical phases in order to propose sustainable solutions to food insecurity.