Using underutilised food crops to strengthen the food and nutritional status of an HIV-impacted community in the Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe district of Zimbabwe.

摘要

HIV-AIDS is a disease that is exacerbated by poor nutrition. Underutilised crops that are nutritionally and chemically diverse are a basis for improving the nutrition and antioxidant status of foods within the community. CADS, a local NGO, introduced a programme to help a community in the Uzumba-Maramba-Pfungwe district of Zimbabwe to use available underutilised crop resources to combat the effects of HIV-AIDS. This was done by increasing the community's awareness, knowledge, understanding, production, harvesting and use of underutilised crops found within their communities. This paper describes the impacts on household nutrition and health status of people in about 300 households involved in this programme in rural Zimbabwe and draws some general lessons about opportunities for using underutilised food crops to strengthen the nutritional status of an HIV-impacted community.