About Burundi
Schooling is free but not compulsory for children aged 7 through 12. Only about one-third of the population is literate, however. In the mid-1980s about 452,400 students annually attended primary schools, and about 17,000 attended secondary schools. The University of Burundi (1960), located in Bujumbura, is the leading institution of higher education; it had an enrollment of about 2200. Some 13,300 students were enrolled in vocational and teacher-training programs.
About 90% of the population depends on agriculture for a living. Most agriculture consists of subsistence farming, with only about 15% of the total production marketed. An estimated 1,100,000 hectares (2,718,000 acres), or about 43% of the total land area, is arable or under permanent crops; about 74,000 hectares (182,800 acres) are irrigated. The average farm family plot is 0.8 hectares (two acres). Agriculture accounted for 50% of the GDP in 2001. Coffee and tea exports comprise the majority of foreign earnings; coffee alone accounted for 54% of exports of goods in 2001. Principal crops for local consumption are manioc, beans, bananas, sweet potatoes, corn, and sorghum. Production in 1999 included bananas, 1,511,000 tons, mostly for wine; manioc, 617,000 tons; sweet potatoes, 734,000 tons; beans, 227,000 tons; sorghum, 60,000 tons; corn, 129,000 tons; peanuts, 10,000 tons; and potatoes, 24,000 tons.
Institutions in Burundi
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Reports on Burundi
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