Good nutrition is crucial for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) who need more calories and protein than uninfected individuals. Village chickens play an important role in poverty alleviation, food security, nutrition and household incomes because they provide carers (who are predominantly women) of the sick with additional resources to carry out their important task of supporting PLWHA.
A study was conducted in Kopong, Mogobane and Otse in southern Botswana involving randomly selected 46 beneficiaries of BONEPWA+/SIDA food security project. The objective of the study was to assess the contribution of village poultry on nutrition, income generation and household food security of PLWHA. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and through direct observation.
Forty-five (37 females and 9 males) respondents reared chickens and 44 (95.65%) of them were unemployed. In this study, the average flock size per household was 22.51±11.79 while the average price of adult chicken was P49.43±.6.92, representing about US$7. The rearers kept chickens for relish (consumption) and as an income source. About 84.78% of the respondents reared chickens for relish and consumption, 13.04% for income and 2.17% for consumption only. About 72% of the rearers regulary consumed chicken meat, 21.74% ocassionally consumed chicken meat while the remainder did not consume chicken meat. Money from sale of chickens was used for groceries, school fees, transport, medication, utilities (electricity and water bills), chicken feeds, building materials, as well as, purchase of smallstock (sheep and goats). In the present study, 22 (47.83%) respondents purchased smallstock using money from sale of chickens. These results indicate that village poultry play an important role in economic empowerment and improvement of food security, nutrition and household incomes of PLWHA.