Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 10/7/2005

[Guest guest]

U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) - 1995-2005 ten years serving the

humanitarian community

[These reports do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

CONTENT:

1 - NAMIBIA: HIV/AIDS takes sustenance as well as lives

1 - NAMIBIA: HIV/AIDS takes sustenance as well as lives

WINDHOEK, 7 October (PLUSNEWS) - HIV/AIDS is robbing subsistence farmers of the

ability to grow enough food, according to a new survey conducted in northern

Namibia.

Out of 144 HIV-affected households in the Oshana, Oshikoto and Okavango Regions,

86 percent did not produce enough mahangu (pearl millet) and maize to meet their

calorie requirements, said a report this week by the Namibia Economic Policy

Research Unit (NEPRU).

In an average Namibian diet, just over 50 percent of calories are derived from

grains, mainly mahangu, the staple food in the north-central regions. To meet

those needs, the minimum yield should be about 1,075 kg per year for each

household.

" We found that 113 of the 144 households surveyed produce less than 750 kg of

mahangu or pearl millet annually, " noted NEPRU researcher Ben Fuller, who

compiled the report.

Among the reasons given for the poor output were lack of animals for draft

power, adults too sick to work the fields, and " loss of labour and knowledge of

farming practices " - including basic skills such as how to plough, plant and

tend the land - which in turn led to smaller fields being planted, the report

said.

An estimated 21 percent of Namibian adults are HIV positive.

To try and cope, some families had switched from mahangu to less labour

intensive maize. The downside is that maize depletes the soil faster and is less

drought-tolerant than millet.

There was evidence of women-headed households trying to consolidate and work

cooperatively to maximise production.

The report noted that HIV-affected families not only produced less but had fewer

livestock to fall back on. " Livestock as an asset are likely the first to be

sold once a household's medical and funeral expenses increase, " said Fuller.

Cultural practices also played a role, as a widow did not inherit her husband's

livestock after he died, instead, these went back to his family.

Nearly half the families depended on a government pension of N$ 300 (US $50) a

month as their main source of income, and 27 of the 144 households said they

relied on drought relief from the government.

" The only conclusion is that the majority of households surveyed are hungry for

parts of each year, " the report stated.

A similar study carried out in 2003 in the Ohangwena Region, also in the north,

found that almost 60 percent of HIV-affected households had experienced at least

one day in the previous month when they did not have food.

[ENDS]

We have sent this message from a no-reply address to avoid bounced messages into

our general email folder. Please do not hesitate to contact us at

Mail@... with any comments or questions you may have

[This Item is Delivered to the English Service of the UN's IRIN

humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views

of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or

to change your keywords, contact e-mail: Irin@... or Web:

http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post

this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by

commercial sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright © UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2005

IRIN Contacts:

PLUSNEWS

Tel: +27 11 895-1900

Fax: +27 11 784-6759

Email: Mail@...

To make changes to or cancel your subscription visit:

http://www.irinnews.org/subscriptions

Subscriber: AIDS treatments