Adapting to Climate Change in the Lake Victoria Basin, Burundi

Pictured here is Philbert Ntaciyica’s and his neighbours farmland, in Nzove village in Burundi’s Giteranyi commune. Like many farmers in Burundi, increasingly erratic outbursts of heavy rain have devastated Philbert and his neighbours’ farms in the past, washing away their crops and fertile topsoil. A UNEP-backed project ‘Adapting to Climate Change in the Lake Victoria Basin (ACC-LVB), is helping 2000 farmers like Philbert to adopt nature-based solutions to adapt to less predictable weather in Burundi. Philbert has built grass-lined terraces along his farm to halt erosion. He’s also planted fruit trees among his crops which provide shade. Not only has his harvest increased as a result, but he’s also able to use the grass to feed his goats, saving him previous income.