What do you see as the main challenges for international cooperation?
The main challenge for humanitarian organisations is the decline in funding in the face of increasing needs: food, drinking water, healthcare. The second challenge is therefore to plan with communities and define priorities together, and to take action where the impact will be most immediate and significant.
 
FH Switzerland has supported coffee-growing cooperatives in northern Burundi, in the province of Kayanza, to promote sustainable coffee production. What is the development potential of coffee growing?
Coffee farming offers great potential: 8 million Burundians live off coffee, which accounts for more than 75% of export earnings. It is a coffee that is highly appreciated internationally, and Burundi has made it its speciality. The idea is to produce sustainably with the Rainforest Alliance label, which is certified when methods and practices are applied.
The aim is to help producer cooperatives obtain quality labels so that they can sell at better prices and integrate agroecological practices such as agroforestry, which enriches the soil and improves coffee quality by combining coffee trees and fruit trees in the same field to generate additional income.
 
Do you also grow coffee?
Unfortunately not, because I am not from a region where coffee is grown. But if I had been born in one of those regions, I would be involved in coffee. That said, I am a farmer and I grow other crops such as potatoes, maize and beans.
 
Do you have the opportunity to train other farmers?
Yes, in the village, I train other farmers and I am a seed multiplier for potatoes, maize and beans. These seeds are certified. This gives the surrounding communities access to quality seeds.
 
Could you share with us one or more journeys that have left a lasting impression on you?
Among the people I have met, I was particularly impressed by the journey of Adélaïde, a model farmer trained by FH. This farmer has shared her agricultural knowledge with those around her on a large scale. She produces her own seeds and continues to inspire new trainers. Now self-sufficient, she is financing her children's education and owns a house with running water. Her journey is remarkable because, as a model farmer for many years, she has taught many people who have gone on to become trainers themselves and now sell their own seeds. She illustrates the lasting impact of agricultural training and its multiplier effect. I am proud and happy to be witnessing these changes.
There is also the story of a Ugandan farmer who was able to install a biogas facility in his home. He cooks his food with what he produces and fertilises his crops with the rest. This is another example of transformation that represents a model of success. This Ugandan farmer has more income than someone else who is active in the labour market and has a university degree.
I invite you to watch the documentary “The Earth, My Friend” produced by FH Switzerland. You will learn more about FH Switzerland's approach and discover other interesting stories. The documentary is available on FH Switzerland's YouTube channel “FH Suisse - Food for the hungry”
 
You were part of FH Burundi for 15 years. Can you tell us more about your professional background?
I trained as a radio communications engineer. I worked for the national radio station as an engineer and also as head of the sales and marketing department. I then moved into humanitarian work, joining a national commission responsible for the resettlement and integration of Burundian returnees at the end of the civil war. It was at this point that I became acquainted with the organisation Food for the Hungry, which was already operating in Rwanda and wanted to open an office in Burundi. I was the first person to be recruited, initially as a consultant for the process of obtaining approval in Burundi. After its accreditation in March 2026, I was recruited in May 2026 and worked with FH Burundi from 2006 to 2021, holding various positions: coordination and planning, resource development, programme monitoring and evaluation, and food security manager. In this context, I was at the forefront of managing agricultural projects funded by the Geneva Federation for Cooperation (FGC) and other donors.
The issues of agroecology and food sovereignty were introduced in this context and took concrete form in the organisation of four international agroecology training workshops, which I coordinated with FH Switzerland between 2013 and 2017 in Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya. This led to the creation of a cross-border project called ‘Network of Agroecological Farmers in the Great Lakes Countries (DR Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda)’, for which I was entrusted with coordinating activities. Coordinating the same activity in four different countries was a very enriching experience. In 2021, I retired after 15 years of service with FH Burundi. Today, I continue to work as a consultant, notably for the FAO. I joined FH Switzerland in July 2025 as Coordinator of the monitoring of projects funded by FH Switzerland in Africa.
 
Thank you very much for this interview.
 

* Watch our documentary: “The Earth, My Friend” on our YouTube channel ‘FH Suisse – Food for the Hungry’.
You will learn more about FH Switzerland’s approach and discover other portraits.
 

Picture: Prosper Niyonsaba and other members of the FH Burundi team, Jean Nibayubahe and Roger Zürcher from FH Switzerland.