IFDC Burundi continues to assist farmers in accessing quality seeds and agricultural services in the face of COVID-19 threats.
The Private Seed Sector Development (PSSD) project and its partner seed companies have installed 385 hand washing stations across 10 provinces to ensure that Burundian farmers continue to enjoy safe access to certified seeds and agricultural advisory services in the context of COVID-19.
IFDC worked with seed companies to install 203 hand washing stations at rural sales points, which increase access to quality seeds and inputs for rural farmers. Customers learn not only good agricultural practices but the importance of proper personal hygiene while engaging in business transactions that are conducted in a safe manner.
Additionally, seed companies have delivered 182 mobile hand washing units for use on demonstration plots and during farmer field days. Here too the objective is to ensure that farmers, while being introduced to an array of good agricultural practices, are sensitized on proper personal hygiene as per the latest official guidelines. Methods to mitigate transmission between participants have also been put in place, with seed companies committing to limiting the number of field day participants to 10 farmers at a time. With 33 seed companies conducting field days, farmers will continue to have opportunities to learn to improve their farming practices.
The Private Seed Sector Development (PSSD) project is a market systems project that aims to double the production and incomes of 108,000 farmer households in Burundi. The project works with private and public sector partners to promote the development of a private sector-led seed industry that is able to provide farmers with sustainable access to high-quality seed and agricultural advisory services.
