Abstract:
The main objective of this study is to determine how HIV/AIDS affects rural
women`s production activities. The data were collected from two Divisions of
Mvomero District in Morogoro. The specific objectives were, to identify and
characterize the rural women`s production activities, to compare the time spent in
household production activities before and after HIV infection, to determine the
household production and income levels before and after HIV infection and to asses
household expenditure variation before and after HIV infection sixty seven (67)
women were interviewed using structured questionnaire. The analysis was carried
out using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software
where means, frequencies and percentages were established. Chi-square statistics
was applied to determine relationships between and among variables. T-test was also
run to compare time spent in different activities, expenditure on different items,
income levels and production levels before and after sickness. The results show that
there is a significant difference in time spent in different activities, expenditure on
different items, income and production levels before and after sickness. The study
revealed that respondents spent more time in household chores, farm and trade
activities before than after, spent less time in patient care before than after, also they
cultivated bigger land size before than after, and they earned more money from
selling farm produce and from business before than after the sickness.
Recommendations made were on women access to land, property, credit and
knowledge. Agricultural sector to address causes of pandemic such as rural poverty
and food insecurity, introduction of labour serving technologies and practices, as
well as fuel efficient stoves to reduce time of collecting fire wood.
