FAO’s goals regarding AIDS are pretty simple. It is committed to helping people with HIV and AIDS live longer and happier lives by helping them get proper nutrition. And it is committed to helping farming families affected by AIDS keep up their food production, so that they stay healthy and avoid poverty.

This not only helps people cope with the disease, it helps prevent the disease from spreading.

OK, but what exactly is FAO doing?

Well, one thing it does is work closely with other UN organizations, especially UNAIDS, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development. The entire UN system is committed to fighting the spread of AIDS.

The fourth United Nations Millennium Development Goal is to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases. Find out more about the Millennium Development Goals.

Here are some actions FAO is taking.

Helping families in the field

Through its field operations, FAO has assisted more than 250,000 families in Southern Africa since the AIDS emergency began. It has distributed seeds, tools, fertilizers and other supplies to help communities that have been hard hit by the AIDS epidemic.

It has introduced tools to make farm work easier, like pedal-powered water pumps to irrigate fields. It has taught rural families how to make better use of local plants that are easy to grow and can be used as food as well as medicines. It has also demonstrated new farming methods, like conservation agriculture, that require less work.

Find out more about conservation agriculture.

Helping caregivers

FAO carries out research and prepares studies on AIDS and nutrition. The studies, manuals and training materials FAO publishes offer practical assistance to health care workers in the field.

The Organization’s research and analysis helps decision-makers at all levels understand the importance of nutrition in caring for those with HIV and AIDS, and in this way improves global response to the crisis.

Helping governments

FAO is also helping governments develop strategies for responding to the AIDS crisis. FAO’s research and field studies help governments understand the impact the AIDS epidemic is having on food production.

It provides guidance and training materials so that agricultural services can better respond to the needs of young farmers left orphans by AIDS, and farming families headed by a single parent or grandparent.

Helping AIDS orphans

Many children are losing their parents to AIDS before they can learn the knowledge and skills they need to survive. FAO is committed to helping AIDS orphans escape a life of despair, hunger and sickness.

In many communities, FAO has helped countries establish Junior Farmer Field Schools for AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children. These schools offer lessons on how to farm, how to earn a living and how to protect themselves against HIV and AIDS. Find out more about Junior Farmer Field Schools.

Want to know more about FAO’s work in combating HIV and AIDS? Let us introduce you to Naoko Mizuno.