Regional Network on HIV/AIDS Rural Livelihood and Food Security Programme (RENEWAL)

1. Regional Network on HIV/AIDS Rural Livelihood and Food Security Programme (RENEWAL) Zambia Presentation RENEWAL 3 Regional Meeting, 12-14th March 2007, Gauteng, South Africa

2. Introduction • Active since 2003 – participation in regional planning meetings for HIV/AIDS mitigation (i.e. exploratory information gathering, think tank meetings, stakeholder mapping, etc) • National RENEWAL coordination structure put in place in 2005 (National Coordinator and National Advisory Panel) • Implemented TWO projects in the second phase (2005-06) with the view of feeding into the national HIV/AIDS policy and food security programming in Zambia • Have one on-going regional study with South Africa

3. HIV/AIDS and Food Security In Zambia: Current Scenario on the inter-linkages Research conducted on the inter-linkages between HIV/AIDS and Food Security in Zambia have shown the following key impact areas:- • Changes in both land under cultivation and the types of crops grown(shift from cash crops towards low-input root and tuber crops) • Reduction in cultivated area (7.5% for afflicted and 2.1% for non-afflicted (By 2003) • Reduced access to agricultural land by afflicted hhs which are FHHs (2.76 - 4ha/hh) • Food security and nutrition related impacts: manifested in severe hunger and malnutrition especially among children due to diminishing quantity and quality of available food

4. HIV/AIDS and Food Security In Zambia: Current Scenario on the inter-linkages • Impacts related to distortion in agricultural service delivery: loss of skilled manpower among agricultural staff due to HIV/AIDS has led to the deterioration of services ultimately compromising the sector’s effectiveness and efficiency • In terms of agricultural production skills transfer, the number of skilled people has reduced because it is the young, educated and productive age groups that is most afflicted by the HIV/AIDS pandemic • Farm management related impacts: manifested in delayed planting/cultivation due to long illnesses and funerals; reduction in ability to control pests and diseases and declining/poor yields • Labour constraints due to HIV/AIDS and other chronic illnesses have enhanced adoption of conservation farming (CF) methods being promoted by MACO, CFU, GART, ZNFU

5. Agricultural Policy Environment and Poverty/HIV/AIDS Mitigation Programmes: Critical Issues

6. General Characteristics of agric policy and programs related to mitigating HIV/AIDS impacts • Programs are typical agricultural input supply related • Food distribution focused • Mostly NGO implemented • Target groups: • Vulnerable but viable – Target for agric inputs • Most vulnerable households – Target for food handouts • Programmes biased towards maize inputs: • Maize may disadvantage HIV affected households as other crops may give better returns • Question to ask is? For HIV/AIDS affected HHs, is maize the best use of their labour? Or it may be better off giving a pregnant goat to a HH than a hectare of maize?

7. What are the Positive Potential Contributions to HIV/AIDS prevention & mitigation? • Positive Aspects: • By targeting single parents, programmes capture widows too • The deliberate attempt to seek vulnerable but viable may capture HHs that have recently been shocked and have depleted cash assets that they could put at the disposal of short-term investment into farming • HHs with members that might be forced to migrate due to depleted assets, programmes such as FSP may prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS by keeping the household together and occupied in safe livelihood options • Pressure put on HHs by the economy and HIV/AIDS related morbidity means that most HHs are experiencing high cash expenditure on medical related costs and may have limited cash for agric inputs • HHs that have been shocked may also be in a position of need and benefit from e.g. a 50% subsidy on inputs. This mitigates the effects resulting from AIDS related stresses • Insistence to deal with farmer groups helps positive behaviour patterns resulting from close working relationships. The same groups could also be reached with AIDS prevention and mitigation messages and practices

8. What are the Negative Potential Contributions to HIV/AIDS prevention & mitigation? • Negative Aspects: • Targeted # of HHs by most programmes is too small compared to the over 600,000 HIV/AIDS affected HHs in Zambia • Entry point to such programmes are local associations, membership to these associations are likely to exclude poverty stricken and un influential FHHs • Conditional programmes such as input support programmes which require down payment may also exclude vulnerable HHs • Buy opening up crop marketing to all sorts of buyers (free market), • farmers lose income through undocumented buyers and seasonal fluctuation in commodity prices. • In years of poor harvest, govt does not fully let the prices to rise but intervene by off-loading relief maize or the food reserves on the market to hold the prices down. • Consequently, HHs have lost investment capacity over the years leading to general low asset levels and capacity to resist shocks such as drought, HIV/AIDS

9. How is RENEWAL Contributing to AIDS Mitigation (1) • RENEWAL Zambia works through the national network of stakeholders (Govt, research systems, NGOs) on AIDS mitigation with aim of complimenting efforts and maximizing the scarce resources available for AIDS mitigation • Is among the few players documenting the policy issues pertaining to relationships and links between Food Security and HIV/AIDS through research • Appropriately hosted by the department of research in the Ministry of Agriculture where RENEWAL objectives and activities are very key • Participates and contributes in national policy forums (AIDS stakeholder strategic meetings, scientific conferences, research presentations) • Share research publications/information through international conferences, national conferences, publications/policy briefs • Strengthening food security/HIV/AIDS research at national level through linkages with CGIAR Institutions, International Universities and also sourcing fund for HIV/AIDS and Food Security research

10. How is RENEWAL Contributing to AIDS Mitigation (2) • Currently actively linking up with mitigation programmes being piloted in Zambia and document processes: • Strengthening HIV/AIDS and Food Security Mitigating Mechanisms among Smallholder farmers in Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia and Zambia (GART Led Project): Aimed at strengthening resilience of agricultural communities in mitigating the impact of HIV and AIDS, improve food and nutrition security and smallholder farm incomes among vulnerable agricultural groups in rural areas, through promotion of labour-saving and soil-improving agricultural production technologies and nutritious short-cycle crops and livestock” • Promotion of small livestock for HIV/AIDS afflicted communites in Zambia (FAO-Telefood Project) • What lessons are we learning from these interventions? Any policy issues to help scale out good aspects of the interventions? What are the strengths and weaknesses? These critical issues are being documented for policy recommendation

11. Priority Areas for Research • RENEWAL roundtable meeting held in February 2006 with participation from the UN agencies, donors, NGOs, public and private sectors and the traditional leadership. • Focus of roundtable meeting point to the following key issues that set the framework for the research priority areas to help guide RENEWAL and partners in Zambia focusing on the three core themes: • Action research, • Communication and, • Capacity strengthening

12. Action Research: Critical Issues and Policy aspects • Need to build evidence base for policy through Long-term systematic research: Longitudinal studies, trends in coping mechanisms and dynamics in context of other processes. • The role of nutritional status in susceptibility and primary prevention should be thoroughly investigated and clearly spelt out. Issues of nutrition security at household and community levels are critical • Develop national cadre of young researchers • Dissemination mechanisms need developing; This is critical in outreach of research findings • Research should put emphasis on operational research, M&E research, mitigation interventions and impact assessment • Applied research on mitigation that tracks changes in socio-economic context, dynamics, longer term are crucial • Need to re-look at Social protection elements e.g. cash transfers, • Advocate for collaborative research within networks: Mapping of researchers, datasets, stakeholders in-country

13. Capacity Strengthening: Critical Issues and Policy aspects • Build capacity in Writing skills, presentation skills, proposal development: access to research tools • Need to Synthesize research and share with policy makers, implementors, and pilot appropriate interventions (Need mitigation programmes on the ground) • Need to develop mechanisms for Community ownership of programs (e.g. are we seeing target communities managing own small scale dairy marketing systems) • Community-level mitigation options documented and shared • Implementation of existing programs is weak and Rural change is minimal due to issues related to poverty constraints, inadequate coverage. Take on board traditional rulers and CBOs and work in partnership • Need to display the practical aspect on how to implement research recommendations • Need to examine the Extension worker capacity in face of widening information flow gaps and HIV/AIDS. Capacity of extension workers to deliver extension services need to be assessed/evaluated • Capacity within traditional systems need to be improved (local training of traditional leaders, TBAs etc)

14. Communications: Critical Issues and Policy aspects • Need to share Best Practice Publications: Summarize research into easily readable materials such as policy briefs • Maintain a Database of stakeholders and other networks • Explore and exploit existing areas of comparative advantage/particular experience? (e.g. community home-based care, Research, TB HIV integrated services, link with ARV rollout) • Develop Mechanisms for inter-network learning (need stakeholder mapping first).E.g. On-line discussion groups? • RENEWAL and partners need to seek and use multiple opportunities for outreach of its programmes, e.g. use policy forums, press club, media, parliamentary committees. • Feedback to communities, getting feedback and insights critical • Identify right people for right tasks. Researchers might not be good communicators, (e.g. include journalists)