Regional Network on HIV/AIDS, Livelihoods and Food Security

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• Regional Network on HIV/AIDS, Livelihoods and
  Food Security
• Report Back from South Africa
• Scott Drimie Khethiwe Mngadi Benny Sikhakhane
• RENEWAL South Africa Department of Social
  Development Department of Health
• RENEWAL III Workshop
• 12 March 2007

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HIV/AIDS in South Africa An Overview
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• Food Security in South Africa An Overview

The cause of hunger and malnutrition in South
Africa is not due to overall shortage of food but
access to food by certain groups of the
population. Since the majority of people buy
their staple foods from commercial suppliers,
rather than growing it themselves, access to food
is largely dependent on (direct or indirect)
access to cash. Stunting and underweight, the
countrys most prevalent nutritional disorders,
are most severe in children 1 to 3 years of age
due to inadequate protein, vitamin and mineral
intake.
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HIV/AIDS and Food Insecurity

• There is growing evidence in South Africa that
  the HIV/AIDS pandemic is linked to decreased
  levels and stability of access, availability and
  utilisation of food the three common elements
  of food security.
• The effects are two-way.
• Not only does HIV/AIDS exacerbate food and
  nutrition insecurity, but the spread of the virus
  is accelerated when people because of their
  worsening poverty are forced to adopt ever more
  risky food provisioning strategies.

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• Government Priorities
• The New National Strategic AIDS Plan is intended
  to guide government for next 5 years
• Halving the rate of new infections
• Provide treatment and support for 80 of people
  diagnosed with HIV by 2011.
• Clear opportunity to bring in food security
  linkages through an integrated response at local
  level.

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RENEWAL Moving in the Divided Space
Improved Multi- Directional Dialogue
Institutional adaptations

• RENEWAL
• Action Research
• Capacity
• Communications

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Core pillars/processes
Part of broader research strategy 3 completed
studies (SA) 3 unfolding (2 regional) NAP
priorities
Action research NAP selection Engagement with
decision makers Partnerships
Briefings Dissemination
Presentations Action orientated Networking
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RENEWAL SA Impact

• Research Uptake - DLA Task Team and ME
  Directorate
• Member of Information Expert Working Group of
  Social Cluster
• Growing Network (electronic database and
  email updates)
• Regular presentations to academia and
  government, occasional media commentary
• Capacity strengthening - food security
  directorate livelihoods training
• Further development of SAVI framework

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The National Advisory PanelRepresentatives from
National Departments of Health (Nutrition),
Agriculture (Food Security), Social Development,
the Medical Research Council, HEARD, and RADAR
(Wits).HEARD functions as the focal institution
(based at UKZN).Plans to formalise quarterly
meetings in both Pretoria and DurbanNAP to
develop a strategy to support feed into emerging
Comprehensive Plan
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Future PlansHealth and Social Development
(NAP representatives) are leading on the
development of a plan to operationalise an
integrated response to food security and HIV/AIDS
at local level.This is intended provide
guidance to the emerging comprehensive response
to HIV/AIDS. This to be funded by government
departments working in collaboration with
RENEWAL.
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Future PlansAlthough there are interventions
aimed at improving food security, they tend to be
isolated, on a small-scale and there is little
evidence of their effectiveness. In some cases
departments are duplicating services rather than
complementing actions to maximize impact
both departments are providing home/community
based care and nutrition support either as
supplements and/or food parcels -- both
departments have HIV and AIDS awareness and
prevention programmes that are not necessarily
implemented congruent to each other.
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Future PlansNeed for research and information
on successful programmes specifically designed to
deal with food, nutrition and their underlying
determinants in HIV and AIDS context.RENEWAL
role to assist in strengthening action research -
particularly around good practice and scaling up
- and focus on long-term interventions with
HIV/food insecurity RENEWAL to engage in
grounding concepts of food insecurity and
HIV/AIDS impact RENEWAL to continue to play a
role in advising government around these issues
through NAP