Hi guys,
Was wondering if you could help me with a question:
"What has been the effects of excessive land use and erosion in Burundi on health of individuals and communities? Address the three dimensions of health (physical, social and mental) in your answer."It relates to the following case study:
Burundi: Environment and biodiversity project: Case study
World Vision along with One Earth has joined forces to fight poverty and climate change. One of the projects they are working on is in Burundi a country in East Africa.
Burundi is one of the poorest and most food insecure countries in the world. The 2007
United Nations Human Development Index Report ranked Burundi 174 out of 182 countries.
In 2007, GDP per capita was US$115 (In 2008 Australia‟s GDP per capita was $51, 000 according to the Australia Bureau of Statistics). Burundi has a population of 7.8 million and has one of the highest population densities in Africa. There is an average of 280 people per square kilometre. Life expectancy at birth is estimated at 50.1 years. The infant mortality rate is 108 deaths per 1,000 live births and malnutrition, especially in children under 5 is notably high. Burundi is a country plagued (weighed down) by high poverty, civil conflict and has very little infrastructure (roads, transport). Excessive (too much) land use and erosion has led to poor quality soils and low outputs from agriculture. This is worsened by changing climate patterns such as late rains, droughts and floods. Seed shortages and plant diseases have had a negative impact on crop and livestock production. The aim of the Burundi Environment and Biodiversity Project is to boost soil fertility and protect the environment in order to improve communities‟ access To food and income. Over three years, the project will target 36, 000 households or 180, 000 people most of who are farmers and many of these women. The selection of project participants will be done through identifying those who are suffering from a reduced availability of land because it has been affected by soil erosion and deforestation. The major activities include the creation of tree nurseries and the planting of trees on agricultural land to support crop growing. Crop outputs are higher on land where trees exist, because when leaves drop from the trees they fix the soil to form a barrier or blanket (like mulch) to avoid soil erosion. So what this means is that the crops underneath are able to survive because they are shaded from the larger trees and the soil is kept damp meaning there is sufficient water for the crops to survive.
Each household is expected to plant around 50 trees and have some plants of Moringa
Olifeira at their plots as Molinga Olifeira is a dietary and medicinal plant material that will improve the health and nutrition of people in Burundi.
The trees can provide the community with fuel for cooking and building, they help prevent soil erosion, and they also provide shade for growing crops like coffee and bananas. A core part of this project is the establishment of Community Based Agro Forestry Learning Centres. Here, farmers and households can learn about techniques such as:
Collecting rain water from the roofs of houses for household needs
Using organic compost instead of synthetic fertilisers (those that are chemically
manufactured, not naturally grown)
Using fuel efficient stoves that use less firewood than traditional cooking methods and
Placing all livestock (i.e. cows, sheep etc.) on one location and bringing fodder (food) to them, rather than having them roam and graze freely. This will reduce the impact on the environment of having them roam and feed off land.
http://www.worldvision.com.au, 17/03/10
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Not sure how to link it to mental and social health.
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