In rural areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (North Kivu) and Burundi, the average size of a farm per household is gradually decreasing due to demographic pressure.
As a result, the population, with the complicity of public officials, is taking over fertile forest areas and challenging park boundaries.
By clearing the parks, farmers destroy the flora and practice slash-and-burn agriculture, contributing to climate change. Farmers set traps to keep wild animals from raiding their fields.
In Burundi, agricultural fields weaken river banks. This reduction in agricultural land is disrupting social cohesion.
In North Kivu, the decline of the family farm forces farmers to migrate into the forest. They settle there, destroying the flora to build houses and cultivate crops. They face malaria and armed groups.
