00:06Western Burundi's Imbu Plain was once some of the country's most fertile farmland.
00:13But today these fields are turning barren as soil salinization stunts crop growth,
00:20cuts the yields and leaves farming families struggling to survive.
00:28The result is that for the first time since I started farming, I have suffered a heavy loss.
00:33This will lead to hunger in my family.
00:35For example, I invested two million here thinking that the sweet potato harvest would bring in ten million.
00:39But look, they've completely dried up.
00:42We're going to face extreme poverty and hunger in our household.
00:45I thought the money to buy my children's school supplies would come from this sweet potato harvest,
00:49but everything is lost.
00:54The flat lowland plains feature naturally saline soils where intensive irrigation,
01:02high evaporation rates and poor natural drainage compound salt accumulation.
01:08On the ground, the signs of damage are clear.
01:15What shows that this land is affected by salinity is the presence of certain weeds,
01:19most notably the mulberry and a plant called urukangaka.
01:24These are indicators that the soil is salty.
01:26Furthermore, when it rains, the standing water takes on a muddy, whitish appearance.
01:31As for the soil, you can see, it looks as though it was covered in whitish deposits.
01:35All these signs indicate that the soil is affected by salinity.
01:42Elia says they have been left with no choice but to keep experimenting with ways to keep growing food despite
01:50the magnitude of the damage.
01:52Some are testing organic manure in the hope of slowly restoring the soil.
02:01To combat this salinity, I use organic manure.
02:04I've already spread some over there.
02:06We work it into the soil before or at the time of planting to reduce the salinity.
02:12Our aim is to be able to produce enough to feed our families.
02:16But so far, we haven't harvested anything at all.
02:19For the time being, we are still in the trial phase.
02:24The losses from rising salinity now reach national scale.
02:30Soil science experts say the crisis can still be slowed through better drainage,
02:36careful irrigation management and a reliable supply of good quality water,
02:41support that only the authorities can provide.
02:48Farmers need to continue farming in a context of salinization.
02:52So what should they do?
02:54Firstly, they must ensure that water from plots already affected by salinity
02:58is not used to irrigate the plots in question.
03:01This is very important.
03:03Secondly, they must establish a good drainage system on their plots.
03:07When you irrigate with water, even if it is good quality water,
03:11that water must be able to drain away.
03:13Otherwise, it will reach equilibrium with the soil, dissolve the salts,
03:18it finds there and becomes saline.
03:21In a country where more than 85 percent of households depend on agriculture,
03:27restoring salinized land has become a race against time,
03:31not just to recover harvests, but to protect food security
03:35and the livelihoods of entire communities.
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