Asset preservation in African agriculture in the face of HIV/AIDS: The role of education

HIV/AIDS degrades the assets of African farm families. The epidemic erodes the family's resources (time, human capital, physical capital, and finances), fragments their social and economic networks, and undermines their organizational capacities. To counteract these adverse impacts, farm families would benefit from assistance that replenishes their assets, modifies their activities, reorganizes their work routines, revives their support network, and provides access to new knowledge. HIV/AIDS-affected farm families, however, face a Catch 22. With an eroding asset base, they are losing the capacities to craft and sustain the necessary changes. This article argues that education and learning, if selectively and sensitively provided, would help farm families preserve their assets in the face of HIV/AIDS.