Thesis Abstract

Abstract
HIV/AIDS is a significant public health issue in Nigeria, with a notable impact on the livelihoods of rural farmers in Enugu State. This research project aims to explore in-depth the effects of HIV/AIDS on the livelihoods of rural farmers in Enugu State, Nigeria. The study will employ a mixed-methods approach, combining surveys, interviews, and focus group discussions to gather comprehensive data on the challenges faced by rural farmers in the context of HIV/AIDS. The research will investigate the socio-economic implications of HIV/AIDS on rural farmers, including its effects on agricultural productivity, income levels, food security, and access to healthcare services. By examining these various dimensions, the study seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of how HIV/AIDS influences the livelihood strategies of rural farmers in Enugu State. Furthermore, the project will analyze the coping mechanisms adopted by rural farmers in response to the impacts of HIV/AIDS. This analysis will shed light on the strategies employed by farmers to sustain their livelihoods in the face of the disease. Understanding these coping mechanisms is crucial for designing effective interventions and support systems to assist rural farmers in Enugu State in mitigating the adverse effects of HIV/AIDS on their livelihoods. Additionally, the research will explore the socio-cultural factors that influence the vulnerability of rural farmers to HIV/AIDS and its impact on their livelihoods. This examination will consider the role of gender dynamics, traditional beliefs, and social norms in shaping the experiences of rural farmers living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Overall, this research project aims to contribute valuable insights to the existing literature on the intersection of HIV/AIDS and rural livelihoods in Nigeria, with a specific focus on Enugu State. By elucidating the challenges faced by rural farmers in the context of HIV/AIDS and identifying potential areas for intervention and support, this study seeks to inform policy decisions and development initiatives aimed at improving the livelihoods of rural communities affected by the disease.

Thesis Overview

HIV/AIDS related problems have continued to be major problems for human welfare.The study was set to evaluate the impact of HIV/AIDS on livelihood of rural farmers ofEnugu State which has HIV prevalence of 5.2 with about 51,639 persons infected. The studyspecifically sought to: describe socio economic characteristic of people living withHIV/AIDS, describe the major HIV/AIDS related problems in the rural areas, describepeople living with HIV/AIDS’ access/responses to sources of helps to cope with their healthstatus, determine people living with HIV/AIDS’ access to farm assets such farm size, labour,and estimate determinants of technical efficiency of HIV/AIDS infected households. A totalof 54 HIV/AIDS affected households were selected. Data were collected through the use ofstructured questionnaires. Data analysis involved the use of descriptive statistics, PrincipalComponent Analysis, Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Lest Significant Difference (LSD)as well as Coelli 4.0 maximum likelihood estimation techniques. Results showed that fiftysix percent of the respondents were females while forty four were males. The distribution byage shows that majority of the patients were between 16-38 years. Access to free drugs andmedication was very limited in the study area. Results show that only 16 percent ofrespondents always had access to free medication while the majority (63%) did not. Freemedication is necessary in view of the high cost of drugs and numerous diseases associated

with HIV.

Twenty-seven percent of the respondents often received help from NGOs while 55percent did not often receive such help. Principal component analysis showed that HIVinfected households were responding most to family helps and also to nutrition and freemedication as well as financial help. The LSD test showed that HIV reduces the mean scoresof the selected farm assets namely farm size, family labour, hired labour and income. TheMaximum Likelihood Estimates (MLE) estimate showed that variance-ratio parameter γ*was 0.5659. It implied that 56.59 percent of the differences between observed and themaximum frontier output for the farmers was due to the existing differences in efficiencylevels among them. The estimated value of gamma was 0.782 for all the farmers. Its t-valuewas 2.636. The statistical significance of this value at 5 percent level implied that all thefarmers were grossly inefficient in agricultural production. It showed that productivity ispositively related to Land Area (farm size), Family labour, Hired labour and quantity offertilizer. It was recommended among others that Champaign against HIV should be directedmore to young people who are the most infected in order to increase the number of youths

actively involved in farming.