The Roosevelt Institution
Much has been accomplished in recent years to make anti-retroviral therapy (ART) available at a reasonable cost to counter Africa’s HIV/AIDS pandemic. However, ART lacks effectiveness when a patient is malnourished. HIV/AIDS and malnutrition form a vicious cycle.
The year-long Rwanda project examined the relationship between HIV/AIDS, nutrition, and agriculture in Rwanda and East Africa. The Center on International Development designed a set of policy recommendations for non-profit organizations in East Africa to simultaneously target malnutrition and HIV/AIDS. The three main policy components are:
(1) Garden cooperatives for high-nutrient crops
(2) Education and training on sustainable agriculture, animal husbandry, and nutrition
(3) Income generation through crop, animal, and seed sale
The goal is to enhance long-term food security, decrease malnutrition, foster economic development, and support effective HIV/AIDS care, and treatment. Improved nutrition will allow antiretroviral drugs to work more effectively.
The policy recommendations were published in a manual (along with policy recommendations on solar energy from the Center on the Environment) and distributed to non-profit organizations involved in HIV/AIDS care and treatment in Rwanda.
This project was conducted in conjunction with Gardens for Health International (GHI), an international non-profit founded by former Center on International Development Co-Director Emily Morell, to implement this policy and build community gardens in Rwanda.
Related Materials and Links:
Gardens for Health International website
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