IMPACT OF HIV/AIDS-RELATED ADULT MORTALITY ON RURAL HOUSEHOLDS ’ WELFARE IN ZAMBIA

BACKGROUND: Fully two decades since the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Africa has been characterized as a major economic development crisis, there remains a dearth of micro-level information on how farm households respond to, and are affected by, the disease. Most micro-level HIV/AIDS impact studies in the literature hypothesize about the impacts of the epidemic but rarely quantify them (e.g., FAO, 2003). This has given rise to some conventional wisdom used to guide donors ’ interventions to the crisis, although they may or may not be accurate. OBJECTIVES: This study estimates the impacts of prime-age (PA) adult morbidity and mortality on crop production and cropping patterns, household size, livestock and non-farm income in Zambia using nationally representative rural farm household longitudinal survey data. The findings provide important information to assist policy makers, donors, and development planners in designing interventions to mitigate the impacts of the AIDS on vulnerable households