HIV/AIDS and Food Security: a long term emergency Marcela Villarreal FAO

How does HIV/AIDS Impact Food Security? Loss of agricultural labour Impoverishment of households Loss of knowledge (IK) Macro economic impact: food imports

Loss of agricultural labour force Mozambique Namibia South Africa Kenya Ethiopia Malawi Botswana Rwanda Zimbabwe Uganda Percentage loss of agriculture labour force 10 20

Impoverishment of households Sale of productive resources for care / funerals –Ethiopia: Average treatment and mourning costs exceed average annual farm incomes –Kenya: 49-78% of household income lost when one person dies from AIDS Shift to less labour-intensive crops –Less cash crops –Less nutritious crops

Sustainability of food production undermined Transmission of knowledge between generations (household and institutional) undermined Decrease in range of crops leads to decrease in plant diversity and genetic resources Social safety nets are undermined –Irreversible collapse of the social asset base

Loss of skills and capacities Household level Indigenous knowledge Institutions Governance and capacity to respond to crises

Risk factors Migration Undiversified sources of livelihoods Gender based violence Gender inequality Food insecurity

Resilience

Macro economic implications Average annual loss in GDP growth per capita due to HIV/AIDS estimated at 0.7% in Africa Ethiopia0.6 Kenya1.3 Uganda0.8 World Bank, 2000

HIV/AIDS: Prevalence and Impact Prevalence Deaths Double Orphans Hypothetical Curves

HIV/AIDS: Responses Low Prevalence Low Impact High Prevalence Low Impact High Prevalence High Impact Low Prevalence High Impact

Responses Immediate vs long term Emergency interventions with a development perspective Interventions that take into account the long term Window of opportunity

Policy issues