This study examines the role of livelihood diversification in promoting household food security with particular reference to Hurungwe District in Zimbabwe. This focuses on assessing the contribution and impact of predominant livelihood diversification strategies in study area. The study employed qualitative methods of research entailing focus group discussions, observation, key informant interviews and literature review as methods of data collection. The study revealed that limited access to credit, skills development, markets and transport infrastructure weaken the efficacy of nonfarm livelihoods to improve food security. Key recommendations are that government, NGOs and communities must work in tandem to increase livelihood options for food insecure communities. Suggested strategies include increasing access to micro finance, vocational skills training and other support services paying attention to gender considerations. Areas requiring further investigation which emanated from the study include the impact of the shift to tobacco farming and how biotechnology has affected smallholder farmers. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

The study was an exploration of how internal savings and lending (ISAL) influenced the way in which persons affected by HIV and AIDS earned and spent income. The researcher engaged with the life stories of participants belonging to HIV and AIDS support groups that practised ISAL in rural Bikita district in Zimbabwe. The negative changes brought about by HIV and AIDS were found to influence the way participants generated and spent their income. The initial illness of family members reduced the participation in productive activities of the ill and family members providing care. Compounding effects included reduced attention to and increasing abandonment of productive activities, reduction in the scale of production, the use of inappropriate inputs, forced disposal of assets, increased household debts, reliance on social networks, and dependence on begging and piecework for income. The low productivity from activities meant that households generated less produce and income. This triggered changes in the prioritisation of spending, with healthcare and associated transportation needs superseding all, followed by spending on food. Expenses that were not prioritised during the period of illness included the purchase of improved agricultural inputs, spending on education and clothing and, in some cases, food purchases. In the findings, ISAL is associated with restoring past and starting up new productive and income-generating activities. Regular access to loans allowed storytellers to invest in activities that improved the levels and frequency of income that they earned. Loans were used to directly cover daily family needs, reducing reliance on risky coping mechanisms. Lump sum payments and bulk grocery purchases helped storytellers to invest and manage their cashflow. Overall, households that practised ISAL improved and increased their incomes and ability to spend on healthcare and satisfy other daily needs to levels similar to and better than those experienced before they had to cope with the effects of HIV and AIDS. Recommendations from the study include enabling persons testing HIV positive to access social protection, adapted agriculture technologies and financial education tailored to those affected by HIV and AIDS. Areas for potential further research include a quantitative and qualitative analysis of income and expenditure changes for persons affected by HIV and AIDS and the effects on children of dropping out and being re-enrolled at school. / Sociology / M.A. (Sociology) (Social Behaviour Studies in HIV and AIDS)) / 1 online resource (ix, 153 pages)

This study examines the role of livelihood diversification in promoting household food security with particular reference to Hurungwe District in Zimbabwe. This focuses on assessing the contribution and impact of predominant livelihood diversification strategies in study area. The study employed qualitative methods of research entailing focus group discussions, observation, key informant interviews and literature review as methods of data collection. The study revealed that limited access to credit, skills development, markets and transport infrastructure weaken the efficacy of nonfarm livelihoods to improve food security. Key recommendations are that government, NGOs and communities must work in tandem to increase livelihood options for food insecure communities. Suggested strategies include increasing access to micro finance, vocational skills training and other support services paying attention to gender considerations. Areas requiring further investigation which emanated from the study include the impact of the shift to tobacco farming and how biotechnology has affected smallholder farmers. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)