Agriculture and Food Security
The issues relating to agriculture and food security for orphans and other vulnerable children. Another section looks in general at responses which can be used to improve the economic situation of orphans and other vulnerable children. Other sections look in more detail at skills and vocational training , financial services for the very poor and specific examples of projects.
The key points about agriculture and food security for orphans and other vulnerable children are:
- HIV/AIDS is having serious effects on agriculture and food security in severely-affected areas. These effects include loss of cash crops, increased reliance on subsistence farming, less time and energy for farming, and sale of assets.
- Responses which prevent or reverse these changes can have significant benefits for households, both economic and nutritional.
- Ministries of Agriculture have a key role in supporting such responses.
The Importance of Agriculture
Agriculture can be very important in the lives of orphans and other vulnerable children and their families, particularly in rural areas. The global strategic framework introduced in 2004 identifies strengthening the capacity of families to protect and care for children as one of five key strategies. Agriculture is identified within this as a key component of economic strengthening activities.
The Importance of Food Security
Food security has been described as a state where a household always has both physical and economic access to enough food for a productive and healthy life. Food security is especially important to people with HIV/AIDS as they need good, nutritional food on a regular basis to stay healthy.
Effects of HIV/AIDS on Agriculture and Food Security
HIV/AIDS is having serious effects on agriculture and food security in severely-affected areas. Families affected by HIV/AIDS commonly switch their agricultural efforts away from producing cash crops. They focus their efforts on producing food crops for eating. These crops are essential for survival. This type of agriculture is called 'subsistence farming'. If the situation worsens, they may seek to meet short-term economic needs by selling agricultural assets, such as livestock and farming tools.
Agricultural Responses to HIV/AIDS
These changes may enable a family to survive. However, they push the family into poverty and make it less able to cope with any further financial shocks. Responses which can prevent these changes from taking place, or can reverse them when they have happened, can strengthen families' economic situation. Possible responses include:
- Developing links with organisations with skills in the area of agriculture
- Developing more stable agricultural systems which provide households with higher and more stable incomes
- Targeting agricultural support to those who can use it most effectively. This should be decided with the participation of those who will receive support. This may mean providing agricultural support to those who are healthy and other forms of support to those who are already sick
- Introducing technologies which can save labour and can allow better labour management
- Addressing issues of land tenure/ownership and inheritance
- Teaching all children and young people agricultural skills in school
- Introduce community grain stores and other communal approaches to food security
Ministries of Agriculture
Most countries have a Ministry of Agriculture. However, very few of these ministries have been very involved in HIV/AIDS issues until recently. Reasons for this include:
- Failure to include Ministries of Agriculture in National AIDS Committees.
- Efforts by Ministries of Health to involve Ministry of Agriculture staff as extension health workers.
- The widespread view within Ministries of Agriculture that HIV/AIDS is a health issue.
However, these views are changing. This is because HIV/AIDS has affected Ministry of Agriculture staff directly and has also disrupted Ministry of Agriculture activities. Ministries of Agriculture are having to adjust to environments which have been severely affected by HIV/AIDS. For example, HIV/AIDS has reduced the availability and quality of agricultural labour.
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