Community and Household-Based Strategies
for Confronting Food Insecurity and HIV/AIDS in Southern
Africa
Barrett P. Brenton and John Mazzeo, Department of
Sociology and Anthropology, St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and
Sciences
Abstract
The synergism between nutritional status, immune function,
and disease are known to increase susceptibility to HIV and
accelerate its progression. In addition to traditional HIV/AIDS
prevention strategies there is great need for developing policy, as
well as holistic community and household-based programs that aim to
reduce and eliminate food and nutrition insecurity in resource poor
countries affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The specific impact of
HIV/AIDS on food assistance needs in southern Africa has created
what may or may not be seen as a new emergent variant of famine.
This paper provides two case studies that reveal contested
strategies for both defining and confronting food insecurity and
HIV/AIDS. One case study reviews current research in Zambia on
coordinated responses to the expanding HIV/AIDS health and
nutrition crisis in light of the country’s resistance to
genetically modified (GM) food aid. The other case study from rural
Zimbabwe examines household level data relevant to understanding
the two way linkages between HIV/AIDS and the current food crisis
in southern Africa. Analysis of data from 2005 and 2006
assessments identify the impacts of HIV/AIDS on livelihood systems
and some of the coping strategies employed by households to
survive. Overall, best practices are presented for data
collection, analysis and the application of findings for targeting
community and household development resources.