Tough lifestyle changes as food prices continue to rise

BURUNDI: Thousands need food aid after poor crop season

BUJUMBURA, 28 April 2011 (IRIN) - Heavy rains in March in Burundi's eastern province of Ruyigi destroyed beans, banana and cassava crops, leaving thousands of people desperate for food aid, agricultural officials said. full report

BURUNDI: Banana blight threatens food security

BUJUMBURA, 22 April 2011 (IRIN) - A disease affecting banana plants has spread to five provinces of Burundi, raising concern among agricultural officials, who fear the disease could hit the country's food security. According to Adelin Girukwishaka, a plant protection officer in the Ministry of Agriculture, the disease, "Banana Xanthomonas Wilt" - commonly known as banana blight - was first detected in November 2010 in Cankuzo province, near the border with Tanzania. full report

FOOD: Home-grown nutrition research for Africa

JOHANNESBURG, 21 April 2011 (IRIN) - A group of international academic institutions and an NGO backed by the European Union (EU) have launched Sustainable Nutrition Research for Africa in the Years to come, or SUNRAY, to develop a nutrition agenda for Africa, with specific emphasis on the 34 sub-Saharan countries. full report

EASTERN AFRICA: Consumers, traders feel the burn as prices skyrocket

NAIROBI, 21 April 2011 (IRIN) - Low- and middle-income earners across eastern and central Africa are reeling from the mounting cost of living brought on by a sharp increase in commodity prices in the past few months. full report

AFRICA: Opposition building to Great Green Wall

NAIROBI, 8 April 2011 (IRIN) - What’s green, controversial, 15km wide, 7,775km long, cuts across 11 African countries and is designed to reduce livestock deaths and boost food security for millions of people? Nothing yet, but the Great Green Wall project, a pipe-dream for decades, was recently endorsed by a swathe of African states stretching from Senegal to Djibouti. full report

IRIN FILMS: Heroes of HIV - The Colonel

NAIROBI, 5 April 2011 (IRIN) - When Colonel Felix Ntungumburanye was first diagnosed with HIV 10 years ago, he struggled with the decision to disclose his status. full report

BURUNDI: Former child soldiers "languishing in poverty"

BUJUMBURA, 5 April 2011 (IRIN) - The lucky ones among Burundi's 3,421 former child soldiers who went through a demobilization, disarmament and reintegration process returned to school but most languish in poverty, with little to do, officials told IRIN. full report

BURUNDI: Helping returnee students overcome language barrier

MAKAMBA, 24 February 2011 (IRIN) - Unversed in Burundi's official languages of French and Kirundu, children of refugees returning after decades spent in Anglophone countries, such as neighbouring Tanzania, often find it difficult to continue their studies and some drop out. full report

BURUNDI: Aid workers worry about food insecurity

BUJUMBURA, 23 February 2011 (IRIN) - High food prices, increasing malnutrition and the impact of La Niña are Burundi's major humanitarian concerns as the country moves from post-conflict to a development phase, say aid workers. full report