University to study impact of HIV/AIDS on farms

The University of Namibia (UNAM) is to conduct a national study on the impact of HIV/AIDS on communal and commercial farming communities, the 'Namibian' reported on Tuesday. The report said that according to a statement by UNAM's Communications and Marketing Department, the study would be undertaken in seven regions across the country. "The lack of information on the potential impact of HIV/AIDS on the agriculture sector in Namibia and the absence of sector specific interventions to counteract the potential impact of the pandemic are issues of concern for various stakeholders," the statement said. Case studies by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development have already provided information on how communal areas are impacted by HIV/AIDS. A recent report on the effect of HIV/AIDS on rural Africa by the FAO said the disease was devastating rural communities and threatened agricultural production. The report stated that Namibia's agricultural system was severely affected by the pandemic. (For more on the report please see: http://www.fao.org/Focus/E/aids/aids1-e.htm) Additional studies like the one planned by UNAM would provide a further understanding of the impact of HIV/AIDS on the agricultural production systems and rural development, labour allocation and requirements and the general characteristics of vulnerable households and farming systems, the report added.