Nontimber forest benefits and HIV/AIDS sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is drastically reducing the agricultural workforce of sub-Saharan Africa, threatening household food security and the food supply throughout the region. Forests contribute to household nutrition and health and therefore should be considered in efforts to mitigate the socioeconomic impact of HIV/AIDS on rural agrarian households. Because little reference to forests and forest products exists in the literature concerned with the coping mechanisms of HIV/AIDS-affected households, we intend to draw attention to the importance of forest-based research in the context of these coping strategies.