Preserving knowledge transmission

Most AIDS-related deaths occur in the reproductive age group. This generational loss can result in a corresponding loss of agricultural knowledge, practices and skills that are passed from one generation to the next.

Recommendations on how to preserve knowledge and transmit it across gender and generations are: informal and formal community institutions, such as extension services and schools, that are reoriented to meet the information needs of households that have lost an adult. Local knowledge, including biodiversity and gender-specific skills, must be preserved.

Orphan and female-headed households, as well as widowers, need information to be able to maintain agricultural production. Moreover, households without an adult need to be able to draw up cropping plans, maintain animal husbandry practices, store grain, market agricultural production, and be knowledgeable about gender-specific production practices. Effective initiatives need to be designed, implementated, and evaluated in order to meet the informational needs of these households.