Dissertation
Msc Development Studies, Birkbeck College University of London
Title
Policy Critique of the Commission for Africa Report’s recommendations on ‘Agricultural and Rural Development’ – Gender, HIV/Aids and Food Security in Rural Communities of Sub-Saharan Africa.
Research areas
HIV/Aids, Gender Relations, Agricultural Policy, Sub-Saharan Africa
To view the document in pdf format >>
Abstract
The following dissertation is a critical analysis of the 2005 Commission for Africa Report’s policy recommendations on ‘Agriculture and Rural Development’. Considering the high prevalence rate of HIV/Aids in sub-Saharan Africa, the study focuses in particular on the Report’s failure to integrate the pandemic’s impact on the agricultural sector, or to consider the way that the agricultural sector and agricultural policy itself can implicate on the HIV/Aids pandemic. With the recognised important role of agriculture for household food security and the connection between nutrition and HIV/Aids prevention, treatment and care efforts, the paper will examine possible local constraints to the proposed technology improvements, such as labour and capital availability, and how these can implicate on food security and the HIV/Aids pandemic. Taking into special consideration existing gender roles and disparities, the study will conclude that it is vital for policy makers to consider how changes in agrarian structures and production impact on benefit distribution, rural household food security and the impact on and of the HIV/Aids pandemic at all levels. The failure of the Commission Report to do so is likely to have negative implications on policy effectiveness, rural livelihoods and (already compromised) food security.
Copyright 2006, Nadja Eberhardt, London
Further reading
'Race Against Time' by Stephen Lewis >>
Outstanding short introduction to the global HIV/Aids pandemic. Bearing witness to the desperate plight of so many in Africa and elsewhere, this is a personal and often searing insider's perspective on the international community's failure to help.
From the CBC Massey Lectures Series by Stephen Lewis, UN Secretary-General's special envoy for HIV/Aids in Africa.
Contact
To enquire about web design, graphic design, e-commerce or SEO services, or just for a chat, please feel free to contact me.