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Within the next 24 hours, 11,000 people will become infected with HIV and 7,500 will die of AIDS-related causes. Because AIDS kills the most productive—and reproductively active—members of society, the disease is systematically shackling the driving forces of development for numerous countries, especially in southern Africa.

In a newly edited book, AIDS, Poverty, and Hunger: Challenges and Responses, IFPRI researcher Stuart Gillespie argues that by its nature, causes, and consequences, AIDS is closely connected to agriculture, nutrition, and other aspects of development. AIDS both affects, and is affected by, government policy and people's livelihood strategies. Recognizing this, the United Nations General Assembly earlier this summer declared that part of a comprehensive response to HIV and AIDS included ensuring all people access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food. For Gillespie, who is also director of the Regional Network on AIDS, Rural Livelihoods and Food Security (RENEWAL), this declaration is a step in the right direction.

"Though it lacks specifics, this political declaration signals a long overdue recognition of the importance of food and nutrition security in a truly comprehensive global response to AIDS," he said. "For the first time, both the evidence and mandate are clear. What we need now is action."

Gillespie took this message to the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto in August, where he and other RENEWAL partners from eastern and southern Africa participated in several sessions, including "HIV and AIDS, Food and Nutrition Security: The RENEWAL Initiative in Africa;" "ARVs: From Magic Bullets to (Re)Thinking Systems;" and "The Joint Learning Initiative on Children and HIV/AIDS: Mobilizing Evidence for Action."

At the conference, Gillespie said development experts from different sectors must go well beyond periodic idea sharing to proactively collaborating in intersectoral action aimed at dampening the spread of HIV and responding to the growing impacts of AIDS. To help affected households and communities to better respond, IFPRI and RENEWAL have called for a three-pronged approach to the crisis. It entails:

• strengthening household and community resistance to HIV and resilience to AIDS;
• sustaining and enhancing livelihood opportunities in affected communities; and
• ensuring appropriate social protection systems.