Impacts of HIV/AIDS on labour allocation and agrobiodiversity depend on the stage of the epidemic: case studies in Ethiopia

This paper examines the impact of HIV/AIDS on labour allocation, crop choice and agrobiodiversity in Jimma Zone, south-western Ethiopia. The study comprised a survey of 205 farm households and an in-depth analysis of four rural households. HIV/AIDS caused households to increase sharecropping their land and led to more crop species grown in the home garden. The results show that the impact of HIV/AIDS on labour allocation and crop diversity depends on the stage of the disease and on which family member is (or members are] affected. Also labour allocation plays an important role, because of the options of having sharecropping contracts or opportunities for off-farm labour. The role of land tenure system in expanding the labour allocation and income-generating options has implications for intervention strategies in the various phases of the disease, both for men and women.