ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book focuses on downstream vulnerability and responses to Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) on the part of individuals, households and communities, in the context of rural livelihoods in Africa. It illustrates the knock-on effects that protracted political crisis and economic collapse can have on the effects of AIDS. The book shows how the presence of the sugar cane company creates a floating labour force in which HIV prevalence tends to be raised compared to the surrounding population. It highlights how the shifting macro-economic landscape can undermine social capital and community-based coping systems. The book looks at the impacts and coping strategies of households and the community in general. It explores agricultural responses to HIV and AIDS in terms of policy formulation and implementation, discussing the challenges encountered and the lessons learned in East and Southern Africa.
