HIV/AIDS and Food Insecurity - Main menu

The prevalence of HIV increased dramatically after the Peace Agreement in 1992 as millions of people moved back to their homes, many from neighbouring countries with higher rates of HIV infection than Mozambique . The prevalence amongst adults rose from 3.3% in 1992 to 12.2% in 2001. The highest prevalence rates are in the central provinces (Sofala, Manica, Tete and Zambezia: 16.5% on average), while rates in the South (Maputo City and Province, Gaza and Inhambane) are rapidly approaching this rate, with an average of 13.2%.The northern provinces (Nampula, Cabo Delgado and Niassa) have a much lower average prevalence of 5.7%, but this does not mean that less attention should be given to measures for prevention and care in these provinces.

The total HIV prevalence in adults (16-49 years) is projected to increase and eventually stabilise at a national average of about 16% in 2010. By that time, it is expected that about 1.1 million maternal orphans will live in Mozambique, with about 90% of these having lost their mothers due to HIV/AIDS. It is estimated that during 2001, about 500 people per day were newly infected, and some 57,000 people aged over 15 years died because of the epidemic.

HIV/AIDS undermines household livelihoods and the ability to achieve food security and good nutrition as it strikes a household first through its most productive members. By draining the resource base of households and communities, it causes and worsens food insecurity and poverty. In turn, food insecurity and poverty lead already-vulnerable people into behaviours, practices, and livelihood strategies (i.e. prostitution) that further increase the risk of HIV infection. HIV/AIDS weakens the human resource base and the capacity of institutions to deal with food insecurity, malnutrition, and livelihoods, as well as with the epidemic itself.

Studies on the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS on rural populations have recently been carried out in Malawi and Zimbabwe . Some data are available for R.S.A., and studies have been conducted in Swaziland . Due to the close economic ties among the SADC countries, especially considering the movement of populations linked to economic activities such as mining, trade, and transport, such regional data could provide useful information for Mozambique.

Current support interventions

• Support to the identification of Good Agricultural Practices in mitigating the impact of HIV/AIDS

• Assistance in addressing the growing feminization of the HIV/AIDS epidemic

• HIV/AIDS mitigation and support to orphans and vulnerable children through the establishment of Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools

Potential support interventions

• Assistance to carry out a comparative analysis of data already available in neighbouring countries on the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS on the rural population.

• Assistance to prepare and implement impact studies for the rural population in the three corridors, peri-urban areas, and specific communities with community-based development programmes.

• Elaboration of methodologies for impact-monitoring on the food security situation integrated into the broader food security information system.

• Assistance for the formulation of an integrated rural sector HIV/AIDS policy and programme within MINAG, with specific emphasis on the role of various services at national, provincial and district levels.

• Assistance for the elaboration of specific rural communication and extension programmes, methodologies, and packages to raise awareness and improve prevention of potential infection, with specific emphasis given to integration of this aspect into ongoing rural development programmes.

• Assistance to identify and disseminate appropriate production cultures and technologies for people living with HIV/AIDS. Owing to the high level of vulnerability of this target group, preference should be given to production systems requiring less physical effort on the part of producers. Applied research and on-farm demonstrations with training could be used to identify best practices both in plant production (indigenous and high nutrient plants, fruit trees) and in livestock (poultry, small ruminants).

• Assistance to identify and disseminate interventions that may help households affected by HIV/AIDS to overcome some of the immediate and longer-term negative impacts of the disease on nutrition, household food security and livelihoods. These include:

• Providing nutritional care for people living with HIV/AIDS;

• Promoting labour-saving technologies and practices;

• Protecting and strengthening the resource base of HIV/AIDS-affected households by improved money management, diversification of income sources, participation in savings activities and insurance schemes for funerals and loans, etc;

• Providing access to basic education and skills training; and

• Strengthening formal and informal institutions.

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