HIV/AIDS, Food Security and Youth: livelihoods in an urbanised Landscape

Overview

It is estimated that more than 22,5 million people in Sub-Saharan Africa live with HIV/AIDS. The youth (aged between 15 and 24 years of age as per WHO definition) makes up 23 % of the population in South Africa and 22 % in Malawi (the two countries where this study is focused). While the research on children and 'orphans' grew over the last years, still relatively little is known about the age group in transition between childhood and adulthood, that are now known to have relatively high rates of HIV infection and are particularly vulnerable to marked deterioration in welfare as a result of the broader socio-economic effects of HIV and AIDS on societies in southern Africa.

In countries such as South Africa, HIV incidence is highest in informal urban. Research confirms that African urbanisation is on the increase, but that this urbanisation is not associated with an increase in GDP. Numerous studies have found that people living in urban informal settlements face multiple HIV and AIDS related risks and challenges, including sex work, alcohol and drug abuse, sexual abuse, food insecurity, poor sanitation and absence of other services, circular migration between rural areas and urban informal settlements, and the highest rates of multiple and concurrent partners.

Framing the complex interrelationships that give rise to vulnerability in research terms remains challenging, but it is also critical if we are to continue to build our knowledge of the impacts of, and responses to, major threats such as HIV and AIDS. We narrow our research by working under the hypothesis that informal and formal urban centres are highly representative of a new generation of young adults who are particularly vulnerability to HIV and AIDS, and who are challenged with constructing livelihoods for themselves that are relevant in a world which is changing and challenging on all fronts - economic, social, cultural and political. Specifically, we aim to consider how HIV and AIDS affect the livelihoods of youth, (aged between 15 and 24), in their pursuit of food security in formal and informal urban areas.

We view the proposed research as being exploratory, aiming to capture a static picture of livelihoods and food security, with the aim of developing further longitudinal research better able to explore the dynamics of vulnerability only possible to effectively explore over time.

Research Questions

• What are the impacts of HIV and AIDS on the food security of the youth living in informal and formal settlements in urban areas
• What strategies do the youth develop in pursuing food security?
• How do these strategies impact on food security?
• What livelihood strategies make some youth less or more food secure than others?

Strategic Questions

HEARD has three main thrusts to its research agenda: contributing to knowledge and increasing the understanding of the reality of the drivers of HIV ; contributing to the knowledge and increasing understanding of the impacts of the epidemic; and contributing to knowledge necessary to develop skilful, evidence based responses.

The project aims to address all three of these areas. The first – drivers- through investigating impact of HIV on food security, and food insecurity is closely linked with HIV and is in fact a driver in its own right. The second – impacts – through understanding impact on food security as an indicator of vulnerability. And the third: responses –understanding how youth livelihood strategies impact vulnerability and food security in theory will help us understand which will responses ‘work’, and how youth might be better supported.

Expected Knock-On

The study has been conceived as exploratory research that will be designed and implemented in such a way to provide a foundation for a second phase of comparative and longitudinal research to further investigate findings across a wider range of southern African settings, and which can then better explore changes in livelihoods over time through a diachronic approach. The mechanisms which will facilitate this are: the comparison between two urban areas; the broad nature of the research questions and wide range of theoretical components that will be incorporated; and strong international partnerships on which to build further collaboration.

A number of tangible and intangible outputs are also expected (see below.)

Project Impact

Disseminate the projects evidence and the scientific appraisal thereof into the policy planning and government and non-government development planning to inform vulnerability knowledge and leadership in the region. There are synergies between research, capacity and communications which, if exploited, may ultimately enhance and sustain impact. Ownership, local relevance and policy impact are strongly associated. Outreach, as such, becomes easier when research is embedded in local systems. As such, the process of ‘reaching out’ will be undertaken at the inception of the research process and well before the study findings are known, through anchoring the research priorities in the local context.

Through the researcher and research networks on which this project is founded, the project also builds on the conceptual and empirical work of the Southern African Vulnerability Initiative (SAVI), and RENEWAL. Their common agenda is to improve knowledge of, and responses to, the deteriorating conditions of existence in sub-Saharan African populations (Chazan, 2005, Casale et al., 2007, Chanika and Msoma, 2007, Ziervogel and Drimie, 2008, Gillespie and Kadiyala, 2005, Leichenko and O’Brien, 2008).

Brief Description

The research aims to investigate how HIV and AIDS affect the food security of the youth living in formal and informal settlements in urban areas, how this age group responds to livelihood threats, and what makes some less vulnerable than others. We view the proposed research as being exploratory, aiming to capture a static picture of livelihoods and food security, with the aim of developing further longitudinal research better able to explore the dynamics of vulnerability only possible to effectively explore over time.

Collaborators

• HEARD: Project Lead. Alison Misselhorn
• RENEWAL: Project Advisor. Scott Drimie
• Bundu College: Project Lead for Malawi component. Daimon Kambewa
• University of Hamburg. Project Advisor. Michael Schnegg

Key Phases

Outputs and Activities

• The kinds of resources available to youth in a changing world of multiple stressors, and particularly increasing HIV and AIDS related challenges.
• Which livelihood strategies they are employing to cope with stressors in the face of the HIV pandemic, and their relative effectiveness.
• Insight into the kinds of interventions at which scales might best support the sustainable livelihoods of the youth