Search

The Food and Agriculture Organization states that ‘the most affected African countries could lose up to 26% of their agricultural labor force within two decades. As agriculture still represents a large proportion of the gross domestic product, this loss in labor could have severe impacts on national economies’ (FAO). Yet, the two quantitative studies presented indicate that the impacts are not only difficult to measure, but that they may be less significant than might be expected when considered at the aggregate level of community (Jayne et al.; Dorward, Mwale, and Tuseo). Importantly, both authors also caution against the potentially spurious conclusion that under scenarios of minimal aggregate impact, households would also remain largely unaffected by HIV/AIDS. This paper discusses the key findings of these two studies and highlights the gaps in the knowledge base and the methodological challenges of conducting research of this kind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is limited but growing literature on the direct impacts of HIV/AIDS morbidity and mortality on the livelihoods of poor rural people. Less is known, however, about the wider impacts of the pandemic on livelihoods in rural communities, allowing for market interactions between households. These are difficult to study, but unskilled wages and food prices are critically important to the welfare of the poor people, whether directly affected by HIV/AIDS or not. If the HIV/AIDS epidemic depresses labor demands more than it contracts labor supply, wage rates in affected communities could fall, damaging the livelihoods of poor households. Under such circumstances, promotion of labor-saving enterprises and technologies could be disastrous for the healthy poor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the impacts of increased mortality rates caused by AIDS on rural livelihoods in Africa. The survey shows that the death of more educated people has a greater harmful effect on households and communities than the death of less educated people. This could be attributed to the consideration that household income levels are positively correlated with educational attainment. Accordingly, the heavily populated areas are more resilient to labor shocks induced by AIDS. Over the range of mortality observed, there exist little evidence of increasing marginal impacts as community mortality rates rise. It has been suggested then that there is a need to base the AIDS mitigation measures on a better understanding of the factors influencing the resilience to disease's impact.