In a bid to bolster its food security, Burundi has launched a major scale-up of its training for PlantwisePlus plant doctors, partnering with the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) to embed pest management training into dozens of agricultural schools nationwide.
Under the new scheme, the PlantwisePlus programme — which supports farmers with expert guidance on plant health — will be integrated into the curricula of 40 agricultural vocational schools (known locally as ITABs, Instituts Techniques Agricoles du Burundi).
The rollout began in September 2025, with the new content adopted in the 2nd and 3rd year plant protection courses, reaching approximately 1,000 students per year.
Dr. Samson Musonerimana, Director of the Burundi Institute of Agricultural Sciences (ISABU) and CABI’s liaison in Burundi, emphasized the strategic importance of the training, saying the vocational programme “is essential to lay a base for successful crop production and protection of the country.”
Before the local implementation, CABI’s international master trainers first delivered training to a cadre of national trainers in Burundi, who then took the lead in rolling out the plant doctor trainings across the country. To date, about 400 plant doctors have been certified, and 200 plant clinics have been established at zonal and commune levels across all provinces.
Dr. Stefan Toepfer, Integrated Crop Management Advisor at CABI, praised the updated approach, noting, “Those experts saw high value in the PlantwisePlus trainings particularly about up-to-date pest diagnosis and pest management contents, as well as regarding the practical training approach. Then, the bureau, together with PlantwisePlus experts, adapted and validated the training curricula of the 2nd and 3rd year students.”
He added, “We gratefully acknowledge funding support from the people of the Netherlands, and through their Embassy in Burundi. This programme also represents a success story of triangular collaboration among CABI Member Countries (Burundi – Netherlands–CABI).”
The programme aims not only to train more plant doctors but also to institutionalize plant protection education within the national agricultural training system. The curriculum was officially endorsed and launched on 12 September 2025.
In practical terms, students from the 2nd year onward now receive instruction using the PlantwisePlus modules, continuing into the 3rd year in 2026.
By incorporating PlantwisePlus into formal coursework, Burundi is attempting to build a sustainable foundation for crop protection capacity, rather than relying solely on short-term in-service trainings.
Given the country’s dependency on agriculture, the move is framed as critical to ensuring farmers can better anticipate, diagnose, and manage pest and disease threats.
The partnership with CABI is also backed by external funding and cooperation. The involvement of the Netherlands’ government and its embassy in Burundi highlights the international dimension of the effort.
As Burundi scales up, it plans to consolidate the number of trained plant doctors and help maintain plant clinics in all regions of the country. The hope is that better access to plant health advice will reduce crop losses, improve yields, and help safeguard national food security.
