HIV/AIDS and rural livelihoods in Sub-Saharan Africa
2000
E. Robinson | J. White
This paper describes a literature survey of existing research into HIV/AIDS and rural livelihoods. Research findings suggest that HIV/AIDS is creating new problems and challenges for rural development, including the dramatic increase of vulnerable groups such as grandparent-, widow- and youth-headed households.However, the authors argue that the dangers of generalizing from limited baseline data have not always been recognized in the literature. Also, the methodological problem of identifying sickness and death due to HIV/AIDS as a single attributable factor affecting local livelihood systems has not been recognized.Recommendations are made for further research. The paper states that HIV/AIDS literature appears to overlook several key areas. Much of the household-level research has not drawn on the substantial existing literature on shocks to rural households and the corresponding coping strategies they adopt. Hence an opportunity to integrate issues related to HIV/AIDS within existing generic work may have been overlooked. Nor has the literature on HIV/AIDS comprehensively addressed the impacts of the epidemic at a wider level, for example on wage rates, employment levels and land distribution. Additional research in this area would be of value for policy makers and planners alike.The authors conclude that greater use should be made of existing relevant research in rural livelihoods. They recommend a move away from the household approach to a model that considers linkages between households and between rural, urban and per-urban areas. [adapted from authors]
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