"Machamba is not a job!": HIV / AIDS and agricultural production in central mozambique

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to explore how HIV / AIDS care and treatment policies and the attitudes of some health professionals affect the ability of patients, particularly women, to comply with antiretroviral therapy requirements and pursue treatment in Mozambique (Manica and Maputo). I focus on inequality in terms of the invisibility of family farming and the diversification of livelihoods by suggesting that: a) HIV / AIDS policies and treatment do not take into account the living conditions of the patients they intend to serve. Health services do not consider the flexibility required by patients' combination of different livelihoods; (b) the invisibility and devaluation of small-scale agriculture reduces women's chances of complying with treatment requirements, with consequences for adherence to treatment and therefore with serious consequences for their health and prolonging their lives.