CONTACTStaffCAREER OPPORTUNITIESADVERTISE WITH USPRIVACY POLICYPRIVACY PREFERENCESTERMS OF USELEGAL NOTICE
© 2024 Pride Publishing Inc.
All Rights reserved
All Rights reserved
By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Private Policy and Terms of Use.
Researchers told attendees of the recent British Association of Science meeting in Dublin that the amount of cultivated land in some African countries has fallen by nearly 70% due to AIDS. Around 80% of Africans live off the land, but the disease, which has infected more than 25 million people in sub-Saharan Africa, has left fewer and fewer people able to till the soil.
"African agriculture depends on labor. You can't produce crops if there is nobody to work on the farms," said Annmarie Kormawa of the System-Wide Initiative for HIV/AIDS and Agriculture. The Benin-based initiative collects information on the impact of HIV/AIDS in Africa by interviewing farmers, researchers, administrators, and health workers.
"For the past 20 years since HIV/AIDS was discovered, the disease has had a great impact on the African farming community," Kormawa told the meeting. "Agricultural research cannot cure the HIV/AIDS epidemic, but it can lessen its impact on survivors."
In Kenya, some areas have seen a 68% reduction in cultivated land and a decline in cash crops like coffee, tea, and sugar, said SWIHA. Some parts of Rwanda have experienced 60% to 80% declines in the farm labor force due to AIDS, while 70% of households in Malawi suffered labor shortages following the death of a male. Twenty percent of rural families in Burkina Faso cut agricultural work or gave up farming because of AIDS.
Kormawa said the pandemic is creating delays in planting and weeding, declines in livestock, falling food quantity and quality, and shrinking farms. SWIHA, she said, is looking at new ways to combat the problem, including planting a drought-resistant strain of rice that needs less water to grow and can increase yields by 50%. (Reuters)
Want more breaking equality news & trending entertainment stories?
Check out our NEW 24/7 streaming service: the Advocate Channel!
Download the Advocate Channel App for your mobile phone and your favorite streaming device!
From our Sponsors
Most Popular
Here Are Our 2024 Election Predictions. Will They Come True?
November 07 2023 1:46 PM
17 Celebs Who Are Out & Proud of Their Trans & Nonbinary Kids
November 30 2023 10:41 AM
Here Are the 15 Most LGBTQ-Friendly Cities in the U.S.
November 01 2023 5:09 PM
Which State Is the Queerest? These Are the States With the Most LGBTQ+ People
December 11 2023 10:00 AM
These 27 Senate Hearing Room Gay Sex Jokes Are Truly Exquisite
December 17 2023 3:33 PM
10 Cheeky and Homoerotic Photos From Bob Mizer's Nude Films
November 18 2023 10:05 PM
30 Steamy Photos of Folsom Street Fair 2023 Debauchery
October 15 2023 11:06 PM
42 Flaming Hot Photos From 2024's Australian Firefighters Calendar
November 10 2023 6:08 PM
These Are the 5 States With the Smallest Percentage of LGBTQ+ People
December 13 2023 9:15 AM
60 Burly Pics from Bearrison Street Fair 2022
October 08 2023 8:30 PM
Watch Now: Advocate Channel
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Trending Stories & News
For more news and videos on advocatechannel.com, click here.
Latest Stories
Prince William's aversion to spectacle created one — and might spawn a King Harry
March 22 2024 6:24 PM
Outrage after Oklahoma prosecutor declines charges in Nex Benedict bullying death
March 22 2024 5:21 PM
George Santos leaves Republican Party, will run for House seat as independent
March 22 2024 4:07 PM
Catherine, Princess of Wales, announces she has cancer
March 22 2024 2:57 PM
Pride
Yahoo FeedProhibition Wellness & revolutionizing self-care for all
March 22 2024 1:19 PM
Tennessee bill would permit anti-LGBTQ+ foster and adoptee parents
March 22 2024 11:54 AM
Plus
Yahoo Feed8 dating tips for gay men from a gay psychotherapist
March 22 2024 11:51 AM
Trans woman assailed during Kanye West's Rolling Loud set beats back 'bullies' (exclusive)
March 22 2024 11:34 AM