32990 Agriculture, Trees and HIV/AIDS F or a long time, HIV/AIDS was Agrobiodiversity and Local viewed as purely a health issue. Knowledge for strengthening rural Yet HIV/AIDS has implications that livelihoods reach far beyond health - including great impacts on agricultural and food production NotesKI Strengthening the agricultural system systems. In Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), means a focus not on problems, but on most infected people live in rural areas and internal strengths and external oppor- HIV/AIDS has become mostly a rural tunities. African communities have, problem. In largely rural-based economies, over centuries, developed a diverse re- it is unlikely that the epidemic can be con- source base of cultivated and wild trolled without the effective support of the plants, trees and livestock, and site and agricultural sector, which is in a strong po- gender-specific knowledge which has sition to assist in both the prevention and enabled them to sustain and enhance mitigation of HIV/AIDS. Equally, however, their livelihoods. This diversity of there are limitations to the extent to which plants and animals is termed "agricul- the health or agricultural sector can oper- tural biological diversity" - ate independent of each other in this re- Agrobiodiversity - and the knowledge gard, and for this reason a multi-sectoral about these resources - here termed approach is crucial. Local Knowledge. Agrobiodiversity http://www.worldbank.org/afr/ik/default.htm HIV/AIDS deepens already existing and Local Knowledge are two very poverty. Impacts experienced by People important internal strengths of rural Living with AIDS (PLWA) include health communities. constraints, labour shortages and a weak- Agrobiodiversity (AB) and Local ened labour force, social isolation, mon- Knowledge (LK) are invaluable re- etary shortages, impacts within the house- sources in their contribution towards hold (such as redistribution of tasks, and strengthening and stabilizing rural com- more attention paid to the sufferer at the munities - in fact they are essential for expense of other necessary activities). their very survival. However, their PLWA are likely to provide less labour, value has been undermined by the rela- No. 82 have less capital and are more in need of tively recent encouragement to adopt July 2005 risk-management strategies. As they struggle to pay increased medical and IK Notes reports periodically on other bills whilst at the same time losing Indigenous Knowledge (IK) initiatives their earning capacity, their financial in Sub-Saharan Africa and occasionally wealth decreases and assets may need to on such initiatives outside the Region. It is published by the Africa Region's be sold, such as livestock, tools or seed re- Knowledge and Learning Center as serves. Cash crop production is often part of an evolving IK partnership abandoned due to its now excessive finan- between the World Bank, communi- cial and labour requirements. All of these ties, NGOs, development institutions and multilateral organizations. The aspects contribute to a decline in produc- views expressed in this article are tion in rural communities, and to farm deg- those of the authors and should not be World Bank radation in terms of a decrease in the use attributed to the World Bank Group and conservation of (agro)biodiversity, a or its partners in this initiative. A decrease in food quality and quantity, and webpage on IK is available at // www.worldbank.org/afr/ik/ an abandonment of and disinvestment in default.htm land. 2 "improved" externally-sourced crop varieties, seeds and in- Access to knowledge and germplasm puts, and market-orientated production. The local resource Faced with HIV/AIDS, farmers often abandon market-ori- base is now further under threat due to the impact of HIV/ ented and high external-input agricultural practices and shift AIDS, which strikes at the heart of these livelihood strate- over to subsistence farming. To be relatively successful in gies. subsistence farming, PLWA require access to germplasm In the face of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, agrobiodiversity and knowledge - farmers can only plant what is available and and local knowledge are important factors for enhancing ru- what they perceive as useful. A focus on local cultures, ral livelihoods by contributing to the following: knowledge and agrobiodiversity is crucial to any HIV/AIDS ·Food security. The first essential for communities with mitigation strategy. However, local knowledge alone is insuf- PLWA is to ensure a more constant supply of locally acces- ficient to provide timely coping strategies for the HIV/AIDS sible food, both in quantity and nutritional value. Neither pandemic. pharmaceuticals nor traditional medicines can work without this basis - the best medicine is sufficient food. In the sub- Saharan African situation, communities have to grow, or Forests and other natural resources gather, most of their food themselves. ·Medicinal relief. PLWA have higher medicinal require- The natural forest areas throughout Africa are decreasing ments, but are usually unable to afford to purchase modern and degrade due to the extraction of high-value timber and medicine. Most people in rural areas rely on traditional medi- non-timber forest products. As PLWA are less able to grow cine; the availability and use of medicinal plants provides a crops, they increasingly shift to gathering for their daily sub- cheap, and locally suitable form of health care. sistence needs. Wild foods are free, nutritious and require ·Income-generating activities. In the case of HIV/ little labour input and are particularly needed in times of AIDS-affected households, while the need for income in- stress. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has also generated a creases due to the rise in treatment and funeral costs, at the greater need for medicine, and most plant-based medicine is same time the capacity for income generation decreases. sourced from the forest. Useful income-generating activities based around local There are indications that PLWA in Africa rely more on biodiversity are those requiring little capital investment and forest and other available natural resources than non-af- labour, bringing more constant dividends throughout the year, fected households. It would appear that natural forests pro- and being based on local resources, knowledge and skills. vide an essential safety net for PLWAfor their livelihood; for In all of these factors, labour-, cost- and time-efficient pro- food and medicine, but also for firewood, fodder and other visioning strategies need to be considered. For example: pro- income means. The particular HIV/AIDS related impact of ducing one's own food, and generating income to purchase this increased dependence on natural resources is not clear, food, are dependent on the local labour force, which can be but there is concern for the sustainable use of at least part of strengthened through improved health, and be supported by these resources. more appropriate labour strategies. The weakened workforce of PLWA is less able to provide enough strong and timely labour; therefore, labour-intensive production and Agricultural diversification post-harvest practices become inappropriate for farmers. Production becomes less a measure of "yield per hectare", Most tree species provide several products and services at than "yield per hour" (shifting to other less labour-intensive different times, but a considerable number of species and varieties or species and practices increases harvest security. genotypes/cultivars are necessary to provide the multiple PLWA need more food security, better nutrition, more uses needed by individual farmers. There are many tree spe- medicine, more income and increased risk management, and cies that can be used to diversify the farming system. With in most cases lower labour- and capital-investment ap- careful species mixes, agroforestry systems in some locali- proaches. Trees on farm as part of local agrobiodiversity can ties may provide year-round production. PLWA need a bal- be a useful tool in the mitigation of HIV/AIDS. Trees in anced diet and also plant-based medicines, which requires agroforestry systems, parklands or forests are an important the use of multiple species. part of agrobiodiversity for rural livelihoods. In seeking ways Depending on a farmer's needs and capacities, s/he de- to enhance food security, food quality, plant-based medicines cides what mix of diversity to aim for, in terms of species (or and income generation, as well as local coping mechanisms variety) numbers, species composition, location and in even- to deal with a weakened labour force, tree species (and local ness of distribution. Ecological experiments and models have knowledge on them) should not be overlooked. shown that diversification of species composition could lead 3 to enhancements of the stability and productivity of ecosys- services: they can affect the farm microclimate (cooling and tems. Diversification could also reduce risks in an uncertain moisture retention or drainage), they are more drought-resis- market environment, or if there are potential pest and dis- tant, control soil erosion, improve soil fertility (N-fixing, ease problems with a particular species. Increasing the sta- source of compost, tapping into subsoil minerals and aerating bility and productivity of agroecosystems is one of the objec- soils), provide shade, function as a windbreak, control weeds tives to assist PLWA. Diversifying the composition of tree (through shading or natural repellence) and can serve as a species on farms appears to be a means of reaching this ob- water catchment. For example, research from Rwanda has jective. showed that soil fertility was a major result of changed prac- tices linked to HIV/AIDS. Trees are therefore vital to in- creasing stability and resilience of the farming system, par- Example of a diverse production farm niche: the home ticularly important as PLWA's farms suffer from degrada- garden tion. Home gardening differs from commercially oriented agricul- Example: tree fodder ture. Crops are grown because of their food and nutritional One tree product that needs specific mention is fodder. The value rather than their market value. It concentrates on protein levels in pods and leaves of fodder trees complement smaller-sized family (or community group-run) gardens and - those of most grass species, and these can boost livestock with careful species mixes ­ produces all year round. It fo- weight as well as milk production. During dry periods, tree cuses on diversity, including traditional, neglected and under- fodder is often the only source of food. Raising a cow or utilised crops, and fruit trees are an important component of even small livestock - poultry, sheep, goats and pigs, can home gardens. Home gardens tend to appeal most strongly make a substantial contribution to food security by providing to women, who are often in charge of selecting, cooking and protein-rich foodstuffs (particularly important for PLWA), growing the family's food needs. Being in charge of produc- income, draft power, fertiliser and fuel. Animal breeds tion of food and medicinal plants endows women with adapted to the local environment and local feed sources are greater control over their family's welfare. Overall, experi- more persistent. In addition, trees also provide fodder and ence indicates that increasing local diversified production habitat for bees. strategies improves nutrition more than efforts to increase incomes. Nevertheless, in practice, home garden projects must work hard to promote diversity. Improving the use of existing plants More knowledge on species can increase the use of what is Labour readily available. Many trees are already on farm, but their full potential has often not been realised. For instance, Most tree species are not labour-intensive nor require timely Prunus africana in East Africa is locally used for timber labour. Apart from some watering after (trans)planting , and medicine but the bark also has export value. HIV/AIDS most trees require minimum maintenance. Some even re- requires diet rich in fruits- and vegetables. Some fruit-bear- generate without intervention. The little maintenance needed ing species already grow on farms, wastelands or in hedges, generally does not require timely interventions. For example but farmers may have never used them. Local, national or in Meru, Kenya, a 15-year-old orphan managed to survive even regional exchange of knowledge among farmers, tradi- because his parents had planted macadamia trees. The nuts tional medicinal practitioners and elders, as well as providing provided him with steady income. the community with external knowledge, may also improve In agriculture, high-yielding varieties or breeds may have a the use of existing resources. higher potential yield, but it appears more beneficial for PLWA to rely on the more diverse traditional varieties (land races), with fewer risks and a more reliable, constant yield. Conclusion With most people in African countries living in the rural ar- Trees as service-providers eas, it is unlikely that the HIV/AIDS epidemic can be con- trolled without the effective support of agriculture. Expand- Farmers are conscious of the micro-climatic variations ing agrobiodiversity and local knowledge can be one way to within their plots and adapt accordingly. Depending on the mitigate the effects of HIV/AIDS through enhancing rural species mix, trees in agroforestry systems provide many livelihoods. 4 Tree species are part of the available agrobiodiversity on strategies. Trees also increase the stability and resilience of African farms. A greater focus on trees within agricultural farming systems. Making more efficient use of tree species systems - agroforestry - can help to promote food security can be a valuable part of mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in agri- and nutrition, medicinal relief, and income generation includ- culture, and allow PLWA to live longer and have healthier ing the use of labour-, cost- and time-efficient provisioning and more meaningful lives. This article is an abbreviated and adapted version from: Lengkeek, A. 2005. Trees on farm to mitigate the effects of HIV/AIDS in SSA. Article is sourced from The Overstory #152, url: http://www.overstory.org, published by Permanent Agriculture Resources (PAR), Holualoa, Hawaii."