The effect of major income sources on rural household food (in)security: Evidence from Swaziland and implications for policy.

The aim of this article was to investigate the food (in)security effect of household income generated from major economic activities in rural Swaziland. From a sample of 979 households, the results of a multinomial treatment regression model indicated that gender of household head, labor endowment, education, size of arable land, and location significantly influenced the households' choice of primary economic activity. Further results suggested that off-farm-income-dependent households were less likely to be food insecure when compared with on-farm-income-dependent households. However, on-farm-income-dependent households had a better food security status than their counterparts who depended on remittances and nonfarm economic activities.

Identifying potential recommendation domains for conservation agriculture in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Malawi.

Conservation agriculture (CA) is being promoted as an option for reducing soil degradation, conserving water, enhancing crop productivity, and maintaining yield stability. However, CA is a knowledge- and technology-intensive practice, and may not be feasible or may not perform better than conventional agriculture under all conditions and farming systems. Using high resolution (≈1 km(2)) biophysical and socioeconomic geospatial data, this study identified potential recommendation domains (RDs) for CA in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Malawi. The biophysical variables used were soil texture, surface slope, and rainfall while the socioeconomic variables were market access and human and livestock population densities. Based on feasibility and comparative performance of CA over conventional agriculture, the biophysical and socioeconomic factors were first used to classify cultivated areas into three biophysical and three socioeconomic potential domains, respectively. Combinations of biophysical and socioeconomic domains were then used to develop potential RDs for CA based on adoption potential within the cultivated areas. About 39, 12, and 5% of the cultivated areas showed high biophysical and socioeconomic potential while 50, 39, and 21% of the cultivated areas showed high biophysical and medium socioeconomic potential for CA in Malawi, Kenya, and Ethiopia, respectively. The results indicate considerable acreages of land with high CA adoption potential in the mixed crop-livestock systems of the studied countries. However, there are large differences among countries depending on biophysical and socio-economic conditions. The information generated in this study could be used for targeting CA and prioritizing CA-related agricultural research and investment priorities in the three countries.

Extraction of non-timber forest products as a coping strategy for HIV/AIDS-afflicted rural households in south-eastern Zimbabwe.

This article examines the role of the extraction of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) as a coping strategy in response to HIV/AIDS-related economic shocks among rural households in the semi-arid Sengwe communal lands in south-eastern Zimbabwe. Using panel data for 200 households in 2008 and 2009, an econometric analysis revealed NTFP extraction as an important ex-post coping mechanism for the HIV/AIDS-afflicted households. Many of the households responded to HIV-related economic crises by increasing NTFP extraction to smooth both consumption and income. On average, the additional income from NTFPs offset about 48% of a household's income shortfalls due to the impact of HIV or AIDS. The importance of NTFPs as an economic safety-net for households depends more on the timing of extraction than on the magnitude (i.e. as a share of total household contribution). Hence, sustainable forest management is of great value for semi-arid tropical areas, such as the Sengwe communal lands, which are hard hit by the HIV epidemic. Consequently, government and other stakeholders would be well advised to implement programmes that reduce pressure on the forest resources, such as by introducing other incomegenerating enterprises like raising small livestock, while improvements in access to education and healthcare will further help the rural poor cope with HIV/AIDS-induced economic crises.

Sustainable income-generating projects for HIV-affected households in Zimbabwe: evidence from two high-density suburbs.

An estimated 25% of the adults in urban areas of Zimbabwe are living as HIV-positive. In HIV-affected households the need for income increases with the demand for medicines, food and funeral costs. One way to mitigate this effect of the epidemic is by expanding micro enterprises that can enhance the livelihoods of urban households affected by HIV. To identify viable income-generating projects for such households, five possible projects facilitated by two HIV/AIDS support organisations were selected for assessment. These were: selling second-hand clothing, poultry-keeping and nutritional/herbal gardens, freezit-making, mobile kitchens, and payphone set-ups. A case study of 200 households benefiting from one of these projects was done in two high-density suburbs in the town of Bindura, northern Zimbabwe. Information was collected from each household four times per year, over four years (2001-2004). Information on the income generated from the micro enterprises was collected monthly during the period. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse household demographic data; income data was analysed using cost-benefit analysis and analysis of variance. The results show that all five income-generating projects were viable for these households, although some were not feasible for the most vulnerable HIV-affected households. Making more efficient use of micro enterprises can be a valuable part of mainstreaming HIV-affected people and households in urban areas, and so allow people living with HIV to have longer and more meaningful lives.