Impacts of HIV/AIDS on labour allocation and agrobiodiversity depend on the stage of the epidemic: case studies in Ethiopia

Abstract

This paper examines the impact of HIV/AIDS on labour allocation, crop choice and agrobiodiversity in Jimma Zone, southwestern Ethiopia. The study comprised a survey of 205 farm households and an in-depth analysis of four rural households. HIV/AIDS caused households to increase sharecropping their land and led to more crop species grown in the home garden. The results show that the impact of HIV/AIDS on labour allocation and crop diversity depends on the stage of the disease and on which family member is (or members are) affected. Also labour allocation plays an important role, because of the options of having sharecropping contracts or opportunities for off-farm labour. The role of land tenure system in expanding the labour allocation and income-generating options has implications for intervention strategies in the various phases of the disease, both for men and women.