Fruit for Economic Development

Levis Nshimirimana, a 13-year-old boy, has now access to a variety of food and clothing. Remegie, Levis’ father, who was finding hard to meet family’s needs is now able to, after that he was supported with World Vision to start farming passion fruit. Dad is harvesting up to 70 kgs per month, earning approx. $70 in a country where more than 80 per cent live with less than $1.2 per day. He is now able to meet his family needs.

“Now I eat rice and palm oil”, rejoices Levis, a 13-year-old boy of Kiganda ADP, Muramvya Province, centre west of Burundi. His meals improved since his parents started harvesting and selling passion fruits. World Vision staff in Kiganda says they introduced the project to help community members produce crops that can help them earn money since coffee, their traditional export crop has seen production declined with the recent crisis. Remegie, Levis’ father, is growing passion fruits on an 8 acres field. To help him produce enough on that small land, besides passion crops, World Vision supported family with fertilizers too.

“I am fond of them, they test well”, says Levis as he sucks one of the fruit. The young boy explains that, fruit was something he was missing is his diet. He is visiting the family passion fruit plantation every morning before going to school; Levis says smiling.

Fruit has now become his breakfast, before this project he was going to school empty stomach. Most of children in Burundi, for those who are lucky, eat once a day. Levis’ father, who was donated 65 plants a year ago is now harvesting up to 70 kilos per month, and earning 105, 000 BIF monthly, approx. $70, in a country where more than 80 per cent live on less than $1.2 per day. World Vision also connected Remegie and colleagues farmers to markets to easily sell their production. Remegie says that the fruit is now his main source of income and ranks number two in bringing in cash after banana.

“I no longer find it hard to pay schools fees for my four children who are all in school”, Remegie says. His family can also easily access to healthcare and to commodities that are not produced at the family level. He rejoices.

Farmer has become now a model farmer in his area from whom other farmers are learning how to farm passion fruit so that they can be resilient too.  Crop diseases in the area are frequent and farmer fears that an unknown disease might strike soon and cut short his joy; he says.

World vision Burundi is aware of this possibility and has started already working with local government agricultural structures to prevent such diseases.