Agricultural Sector



The agricultural sector is the leading sector of the economy of Tanzania and accounts for over half of the GDP and export earnings. About 80% of the population live and earn their living in rural areas with agriculture as the mainstay of their living. The agricultural sector is particularly important for poor people in Tanzania, 80% of whom reside in rural areas. Given the heavy reliance of the rural poor on agricultural-related livelihoods, the potential impacts of HIV/AIDS on agricultural production and the labour force are of particular concern.

Households directly affected by AIDS face significant challenges in trying to pay for medical treatment and, ultimately, funeral costs. These costs lead to a steady decline in the household asset base, and in some cases, households sell their agriculturally productive resources, including land, animals, equipment and inputs, to cope with the burden. In addition to increased expenditure, time spent caring for afflicted household members takes away from time spent on agricultural activities and other household tasks. As a result, agricultural production suffers and households often choose to plant less labour-intensive crops and smaller areas of land. One result of this is a decrease in the nutritional status of these households simply because less food is grown by the family, and less money is available to cover the shortfall. Unfortunately, the resulting malnutrition of these increasingly impoverished families is also associated with more rapid progression of HIV to AIDS and increases the vulnerability of HIV-positive persons to opportunistic infections, further hastening the need for yet more funds for the medicines needed to keep these patients alive.

In Tanzania agricultural extension officers (AEO) support farmers in their villages in carrying out their daily activities. In order to provide these AEOs with additional knowledge especially on transmission and prevention of HIV infections, on the existing links between HIV/AIDS and agricultural productivity as well as information on possibilities to seek help from available (also health) services; a Training of Trainers Workshop was organized by the agricultural sector leading ministries, which are Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS), the Ministry of Water and Livestock Development (MWLD) and the Ministry of Cooperatives and Marketing (MCM). The ministries were supported by MACC and DANIDA. The participants were tutors from all agricultural training institutions within the whole country. As far as they teach EAO as well as students of other subjects in their institutions, the tutors can reach easily a large number of agricultural staff within the institutions.

  1. Report of Workshop
  2. Curriculum
  3. Additional Information, Presentations and Handouts
    1. Presentation and Handouts
    2. Additional Information

 
2006 Copyright Tanzanian-German Programme to Support Health.