Abstract

AIDS is a multifaceted epidemic that affects not only the health of a community but its economics, social structure, and environment as well. This is especially true in Africa where many of the communities that are most affected by the disease do not have the means to implement any sort of program to encourage awareness or help ease these burdens. For my project, I will analyze the affects of HIV/AIDS on agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa. AIDS most greatly affects people between the ages of 15 and 45, which is the most productive age group, especially in rural areas where labor-intensive agriculture is the main means of survival. There are many issues involved in this including a trend towards more households headed by women and HIV orphans, a loss of agricultural knowledge, and a trend towards less labor intensive monocultures.