Burundi’s major challenge, at the time of start-up of the Rural Recovery and Development Programme, was to reactivate the economy in the wake of the crisis by restoring the production base and addressing the structural problems affecting production. The programme response was to improve food security and living standards, increase rural incomes and improve land conservation in four of the country’s poorest provinces.

The programme successfully achieved its objectives vis-à-vis the main target populations, in particular the most vulnerable households which had lost their means of productions. It had strong influence on government policies and institutions, with its greatest success lying in its innovations and their scaling up throughout the country. Its interventions also show good signs of sustainability, specifically the high degree of ownership by local populations and good financial returns on several activities.

The assessment notes some weaknesses in the conservation of agricultural land and environmental resources and remaining challenges to ensure long-term sustainability, particularly in consolidating infrastructure management committees.