Burundi faces food crisis from fuel and fertilizer shortages
El Niño and a lack of foreign currency worsen the impact of dwindling farm inputs on harvests.
Burundi is facing a growing threat to its food security due to fuel and fertilizer shortages, compounded by a lack of foreign currency and El Niño-related climate risks. As harvests decline and stocks dwindle, the price of beans is rising, raising concerns that rationing of agricultural inputs could lead to food rationing.
The country's economy, heavily reliant on agriculture which accounted for 34.3% of GDP in 2025, is struggling. 85 percent of Burundian households depend on farming, but farmers now lack essential fertilizers. "Without fertilizer, we can no longer sow and hope to get something," said a resident of Rwibaga commune, noting that past seasons B and C of 2026 have already seen weakened harvests. Residents of Matongo blocked the RN1 on October 26 to protest their dependence on these chemical products.
The combined effects of fuel and fertilizer rationing, alongside a chronic shortage of foreign currency and the El Niño climate phenomenon, threaten to create an unprecedented food crisis. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that Burundi's agriculture still relies on rudimentary, pre-industrial methods.
Why it mattersBurundian farmers are struggling to produce food due to shortages of essential fertilizers, impacting harvests and household livelihoods.