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Latest food security analysis

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Key messages
Key Message Update May - September 2026 Seasonal improvements being slowed by high food prices and bean crop loss Download the report
  • The Eastern and Northern Lowlands, Eastern Dry Plateaus, and Imbo Plains are projected to remain in Stressed (IPC Phase 2) through September. While the arrival of Season B harvests in June will temporarily improve access to food and income, improvement will be hindered by expected localized below-average harvests, sustained high food prices, and market pressures from high demand in areas with large populations of refugees and returnees. Household income-earning opportunities continue to be limited by the continued closure of the Rwanda border since January 2024 and restricted access to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At the same time, competition for labor for labor opportunities within Burundi is atypically high due to the large recent influxes of refugees and returning Burundians. As a result, household purchasing power is weak, limiting food access, as households remain highly dependent on market purchases.  
  • Season B harvests are expected to be near-average in most areas, bolstered by production of tubers and bananas mostly offsetting notable bean crop losses caused by below-average rainfall from late March to mid-April. Beans account for about 25–30 percent of Season B national crop production and nearly 50 percent in the northern regions. The largest losses occurred in the semi-arid Northern Lowlands, where production is now anticipated to be around 40 percent below average. Losses are also estimated at 15–20 percent in the Eastern Lowlands and around 10 percent in the Eastern Dry Plateaus. Fertilizer shortages and high input prices, linked to limited foreign currency availability and the conflict in the Middle East, also weakened agricultural production.  
  • There has been a sharp decline in fuel imports to Burundi since March, attributable to the conflict in the Middle East, which is contributing to rising fuel and food prices. Imports of gasoline and diesel are expected to remain atypically low through at least September. The worsening fuel shortage is likely to further increase transportation costs and contribute to additional food price increases. It has also created atypical regional price disparities, with relatively lower prices in surplus-producing areas and significantly higher prices in urban and peri-urban deficit markets. Charcoal prices, in particular, have doubled or even tripled in urban areas. 
  • Food prices in April continued their seasonal upward trend and remained considerably higher than the five-year average. Most commodities increased by around 5 percent compared to March, and beans surged by 30 percent nationally and nearly 50 percent in urban areas. This was driven by the depletion of stocks from Season A, which saw below-average production, and price speculation from Season B bean crop losses. Compared to last year, prices for most commodities were 5 to 20 percent higher, except for maize, which was 10 percent lower, supported by average stocks from 2026 Seasons A and C. Compared to the five-year average, staple food prices remained markedly elevated, ranging from 20 to 70 percent above average. The sustained high prices are driven by increasing costs for agricultural inputs and transportation from production areas to markets. Cash assistance to refugees and returnees has also heightened inflation in localities with refugee and returnee populations, notably the Eastern Lowlands and Eastern Dry Plateaus. 
  • In April 2026, WFP assisted nearly 975,000 beneficiaries, amid continued funding shortages. Around 151,000 refugees received 75 percent of the minimum daily food requirements through hybrid assistance combining food and cash transfers, while returnees received cash equivalent to 50 percent of minimum food requirements for three months. The pace of repatriation of Burundian refugees from Tanzania slowed in April 2026, with 11,397 returnees assisted by WFP, compared to 26,194 in March and 24,944 in February. Around 40,000 returnees are still expected to exit Tanzania by July 2026. Reports indicate that some refugees expelled from Tanzania are seeking asylum in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, which could reduce the number of expected returnees arriving in Burundi. WFP also provided nutrition assistance to 9,105 beneficiaries in April, including 6,565 children and 2,540 pregnant and breastfeeding women, mainly in Busuma Refugee Camp, along with 914 individuals admitted to malnutrition treatment services.  
Read the full analysis
More analysis reports View all Burundi food security analysis reports Monthly analysis
Food Security Outlook Update Burundi April - September 2026
Key Message Update Burundi March - September 2026
Food Security Outlook Burundi February - September 2026
Alerts / special reports
Special Report Global June 23, 2025
Special Report Global May 1, 2025
Monthly analysis
Food Security Outlook Update Burundi April - September 2026
Key Message Update Burundi March - September 2026
Food Security Outlook Burundi February - September 2026
Alerts / special reports
Special Report Global June 23, 2025
Special Report Global May 1, 2025
Explore food security analysis data
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The FEWS NET Data Explorer hosts the widest range of FEWS NET data for download or extract via API. The Data Explorer requires a free user account for access.

FEWS NET–style food security map of East Africa showing crisis severity by color, with conflict icons and alerts across Somalia, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
Acute Food Insecurity Area-Level Classifications

FEWS NET produces IPC-compatible area-level acute food insecurity classifications monthly for FEWS NET reporting countries. This data is available as spatial files, tabular files, and map images. It is a key output of FEWS NET integrated food security analysis and is reported in our Food Security Outlooks and Outlook Updates (FSO/U) and Key Message Updates (KMU).

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Map of East Africa with large colored circles over Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya, and South Sudan indicating comparative regional metrics; capitals labeled.
Acutely Food Insecure Population Estimates

These estimates reflect the total population estimated to face Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or worse acute food insecurity outcomes, including those who are receiving humanitarian food assistance and those who are not. This tabular data is a key output of FEWS NET integrated food security analysis and is reported in our FSOs, global Food Assistance Outlook Briefs (FAOB), and semi-annual global Peak Food Assistance Needs Outlook Briefs.

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Monthly Global Price Watch reports

This report provides the latest outlook on global, regional, and national market trends of key commodity prices in FEWS NET reporting countries and also analyzes the various drivers influencing these trends.

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Production and Trade Flow Maps

These maps display the geography of market systems and trade flow patterns for key products, including their key market towns and cross-border trade points.

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Price data

Price data is available for a large number of countries and products around the world. This data can be used to track the change in price of commodities, food staples, agricultural inputs, and other products over time and is a key input to FEWS NET food security analysis and Global Price Watch reports.

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Agroclimatology resources
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This report provides a global outlook on anticipated severe weather events, including maps with current weather information, short and medium range weather forecasts (up to one week), and the potential impact on crop and pasture conditions.

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Seasonal Monitor reports

This report provides regional updates on weather events, rainfall patterns, and associated impacts on ground conditions (e.g., cropping conditions, water availability) during a given geography’s rainy season, along with a short-term rainfall forecast.

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Agroclimatology data

FEWS NET and its partners offer a range of online tools that share insights on rainfall, temperature, vegetation, soil moisture, and surface water conditions derived from remote sensing data collection and modeling.

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Livelihoods resources
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Access FEWS NET’s maps, reports, and data on local livelihood systems.

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Burundi 2009 Livelihood Zones Map (.PNG)
Livelihood Zone maps

Zone Maps illustrate the country by zone, showing areas where people generally have the same options for obtaining food and income and engaging in trade.

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Livelihood Zone Descriptions

Zone Descriptions accompany a Zone Map, briefly describing the main characteristics of the livelihood patterns in that zone. The maps and descriptions are useful in informing the development of monitoring systems.

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Seasonal Calendar
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These calendars illustrate the monthly availability of key food and income sources, plus the starts and ends to key rainy and lean seasons. They supplement livelihoods resources and are integral to FEWS NET’s food security analysis.

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Agricultural seasonal calendar showing land preparation, planting, weeding, harvesting, coffee harvest, and labor activities across seasons.
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