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The article cites studies that analyze the relation of orphanhood to the occurrence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS in Africa. One paper draws upon an exceptional Tanzanian two-period data set. This data set may illuminate on the effects of orphanhood on human capital formation. Another issue refers to the cost of orphanhood to an economy over time, or the trade-off between allocating resources to mitigate the negative effects of orphanhood directly and investing in HIV/AIDS mitigation. It is found that HIV/AIDS can have a large negative impact on total factor productivity.

The article argues that education and learning, if selectively and sensitively provided, would help African farm families preserve their assets in the face of HIV/AIDS. According to the author, HIV and AIDS degrade the assets of African farm families by eroding their time, human capital, physical capital and financial resources. Education, both formal and non-formal, is an external intervention that would help farm families offset the effects of HIV/AIDS by enabling family members to enhance their knowledge, augment their skills and take advantage of new information about production, consumption and welfare-enhancing opportunities.