Abstract

The study was carried out in Lilongwe and Mzimba districts to quantify the linkages of HIV and AIDS to food production, food security and poverty. A total of 370 households (185 affected and 185 non-affected) were interviewed, with 160 households from Mzimba and 210 from Lilongwe district. The study has established that there is a negative linkage between HIV and AIDS, food production, food security and poverty. In HIV affected households, physical factors allocated to maize production are less than those in non-affected households. Affected households allocated 19.8% less land, 15.3% less labour and 24.1% less fertilizer to maize production due to chronic illness. This results to significantly (P<0.01) low food production, about 38% lower, in affected households compared to the non-affected households. The most determining factor is the labour. When labour is not enough, a household is forced to allocate less land to production. Coupled by lack of inputs, especially fertilizer, a household is likely to produce less maize. HIV and AIDS non affected households are also better off in terms of food security situations compared to affected households. A significantly (P<0.01) higher proportion of non-affected households (31.9%) had food throughout the year compared to affected households (11.9%). The study has also established that poverty is more pronounced in HIV affected households than in the non-affected households although both household categories are poor. There are significantly (P<0.05) more people, about 95.9%, below the poverty line in affected households than in non-affected households, where 90.6% are below the poverty line. The study recommends establishment and enforcement of labour saving technologies especially in HIV and AIDS affected households so that the affected households can be able to meet their food requirements with the little available labour. It also recommends empowering the affected households economically through the AIDS support groups to which they belong in order to reduce the levels of poverty prevailing among them.

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School	: Bunda College of Agriculture
Issued Date	: 2007

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