The HIV and AIDS epidemic has a negative impact on food security among small
scale farmers in Namibia's communal areas. If the findings presented here prove to
be widespread, the threat to food security demands immediate attention from all
sectors of Namibian society. HIV affected households were sampled in three
Regions of Northern Namibia. A total of 144 households were surveyed during
November 2004. The survey took place in three Regions in Northern Namibia, the
Kavango, Oshana and Oshikoto Regions. Of those households, almost nine out of
ten were determined to be food insecure. They had neither adequate formal or
informal income to purchase sufficient food, nor did they produce enough staple
crops to meed basic nutritional requirements throughout the year. Eleven
households did not produce any crops at all in 2004. Using livestock as
compensation for the crop deficit is not an option as only half of food insecure
households had animals. The majority of stock owning households, however, did
not possess herds large enough to allow regular off-take.