Project Abstract

Abstract
HIV/AIDS continues to be a significant public health concern globally, with rural populations in developing countries being particularly vulnerable. This study investigates the effects of HIV/AIDS on the livelihoods of rural farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria. The research aims to understand the various ways in which HIV/AIDS impacts the economic activities, social dynamics, and overall well-being of rural farmers in the region. Through a mixed-methods approach, data was collected from a sample of rural farmers in Enugu State. Quantitative data was gathered through surveys that assessed the prevalence of HIV/AIDS among farmers and its correlation with agricultural productivity and income levels. Qualitative data was obtained through interviews and focus group discussions to explore the social and psychological impacts of the disease on farmers and their communities. The findings reveal that HIV/AIDS has a profound impact on the livelihoods of rural farmers in Enugu State. The disease not only affects the physical health of infected individuals but also has significant economic implications. Farmers living with HIV/AIDS experience reduced productivity due to illness and the need for frequent medical care, leading to lower agricultural yields and income levels. Moreover, the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS often results in social isolation and discrimination, further exacerbating the challenges faced by affected farmers. The study also highlights the role of existing support systems and interventions in mitigating the effects of HIV/AIDS on rural farmers. Access to healthcare services, social support networks, and HIV/AIDS education programs were identified as crucial factors in improving the well-being of affected farmers and their families. Additionally, initiatives that promote sustainable agricultural practices and alternative income-generating activities were found to be effective in enhancing the resilience of rural communities facing the challenges of HIV/AIDS. Overall, this research contributes to a better understanding of the complex interplay between HIV/AIDS and rural livelihoods in Enugu State, Nigeria. The findings underscore the need for comprehensive strategies that address the medical, economic, social, and psychological dimensions of the HIV/AIDS epidemic to ensure the sustainable development of rural farming communities.

Project Overview

HIV/AIDS related problems have continued to be major problems for human welfare.The study was set to evaluate the impact of HIV/AIDS on livelihood of rural farmers ofEnugu State which has HIV prevalence of 5.2 with about 51,639 persons infected. The studyspecifically sought to: describe socio economic characteristic of people living withHIV/AIDS, describe the major HIV/AIDS related problems in the rural areas, describepeople living with HIV/AIDS’ access/responses to sources of helps to cope with their healthstatus, determine people living with HIV/AIDS’ access to farm assets such farm size, labour,and estimate determinants of technical efficiency of HIV/AIDS infected households. A totalof 54 HIV/AIDS affected households were selected. Data were collected through the use ofstructured questionnaires. Data analysis involved the use of descriptive statistics, PrincipalComponent Analysis, Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Lest Significant Difference (LSD)as well as Coelli 4.0 maximum likelihood estimation techniques. Results showed that fiftysix percent of the respondents were females while forty four were males. The distribution byage shows that majority of the patients were between 16-38 years. Access to free drugs andmedication was very limited in the study area. Results show that only 16 percent ofrespondents always had access to free medication while the majority (63%) did not. Freemedication is necessary in view of the high cost of drugs and numerous diseases associated

with HIV.

Twenty-seven percent of the respondents often received help from NGOs while 55percent did not often receive such help. Principal component analysis showed that HIVinfected households were responding most to family helps and also to nutrition and freemedication as well as financial help. The LSD test showed that HIV reduces the mean scoresof the selected farm assets namely farm size, family labour, hired labour and income. TheMaximum Likelihood Estimates (MLE) estimate showed that variance-ratio parameter γ*was 0.5659. It implied that 56.59 percent of the differences between observed and themaximum frontier output for the farmers was due to the existing differences in efficiencylevels among them. The estimated value of gamma was 0.782 for all the farmers. Its t-valuewas 2.636. The statistical significance of this value at 5 percent level implied that all thefarmers were grossly inefficient in agricultural production. It showed that productivity ispositively related to Land Area (farm size), Family labour, Hired labour and quantity offertilizer. It was recommended among others that Champaign against HIV should be directedmore to young people who are the most infected in order to increase the number of youths

actively involved in farming.