Aflasafe™ pea amendment for usaid/East Africa February 2015

Institutional Framework

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  Planning and design, coordination, and implementation of national policy on agriculture and livestock;
  
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  Organization and monitoring of agro-food processing;
  
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  Establishment of sustainable food security systems;
  
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  Development and implementation of national policies to protect and improve soil fertility, mobilize self-development and popularization of agroforestry-zootechnics, and strategies to improve protection of crops;
  
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  Oversee implementation of the National Policy, “the promotion and supervision of the exploitation of water, of fishing and fish farming products”, in collaboration with other concerned ministries.
  

(DGMAVA), General Directorate of Agriculture, and General Directorate of Livestock (DGE).

In support of research on aflatoxins, the plant pathology laboratory has been used for crop and fungus characterization, and three primary researchers have been identified and trained in relevant research techniques, much of the support fostered through an evolving relationship with IITA. To date, IITA has sponsored the training of Ph.D. scientists, providing clean planting materials for cassava, and explored the possibility of building an office in Burundi

ISABU supports in the surveillance of pesticide use and any resultant adverse impacts. In their support, a member from ISABU joins Office of Plant Protection field teams for field evaluations.

The Office of Plant Protection within MINAGRIE works to prevent pest infestation and disease in plants, with focus on viruses, fungi and bacteria. The office utilizes surveying protocols to evaluate diseases or pests under review, looking at pest populations and disease spread. Additionally, with support from ISABU, the office provides surveillance of pesticide use and any resultant adverse impact. Surveillance entails monitoring behavior of plants following pesticide application and evaluating whether there is any evidence of pest persistence or invasiveness. Such surveillance efforts are typically conducted 3-4 times per year (or once per season), though no specific protocol is established for these evaluations.

Ministry of Environment (MEEATU)—The Ministry of Water, Environment, Land Management and Urban Planning underwent reorganization in November 2005. Prior to the reorganization, the ministry was known as MINATET (Ministère de l’Aménagement du Territoire, de l’Environnement et du Tourisme). Despite the reorganization, the fundamental responsibilities of the ministry remained fairly consistent. These primary responsibilities are:

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  Development and implementation of national water, environmental, land management, and urban planning policy;
  
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  Promotion of coordinated environmental management;
  
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  Oversight of environmentally sound management of land, water, forests, and air;
  
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  Preservation of Burundi’s ecological balance; and
  
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  Biodiversity conservation.
  

In its capacity to safeguard the environment and conservation of Burundi’s natural resources INECN:⁸³

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  Collects and analyzes data provided by national and international organizations informing the status of Burundi’s environment and natural resources;
  

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  Enforces standards meant to combat pollution;
  
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  Supports environmentally sound management of natural resources through coordination and cooperation with relevant authorities;
  
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  Oversees the creation and management of national parks, nature reserves, and protected areas; and
  

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  Initiates and supports research studies and accompanying measures to support maintenance of Burundi’s environment.
  

BBN is currently looking to expand measurement and analysis capacity, with limited laboratory resources at present. As stated on BBN’s Web site, “{current existing} infrastructures are insufficient to enable {BBN} to effectively meet the growing expectations of {its} stakeholders and partners. BBN has a work plan from 2011 to 2015 to guide the development of its organizational structure to meet the needs of different socio-economic sectors of the country in terms of quality.”

The food technology service carries out research works related to food technology matters. The center is equipped with laboratories capable of microbiological and chemical analyses, including capacity for HPLC⁸⁵ and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) for analysis of pesticides. The laboratories are available for public use, though cost for services will depend on the analyses requested.