Maize production, drought and AIDS in Monze District Zambia.

The 1992 Southern African drought focused the world's attention on the precarious food security situation of that region. In Monze District, southern Zambia, in addition to the drought there was also a serious epidemic of East Coast fever among the cattle, which resulted in the deaths of a large percentage of the district's herd causing further impoverishment among some of the district's poorer households. At the same time, AIDS and HIV disease are increasingly making an impact on the productivity of the district's population, with as many as one in 6.5 households already having experienced illness or a death due to AIDS. This paper describes the history of maize in Zambia, the impact of the 1992 drought and of the epidemic of East Coast fever, and the likely impact of AIDS on agriculture in the district. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]