Harare — THE Food and Agriculture Organisation has made available a US$450 000 facility to the Technical Co-operation Programme on HIV and Aids to achieve lasting improvements in the agricultural production and food security of HIV and Aids-affected households and communities in Zimbabwe.

Officially opening an inception workshop for the programme last week, Agriculture Minister Cde Rugare Gumbo said his ministry realised gaps in the implementation of some priority areas of the Zimbabwe Agriculture Sector Strategy on HIV. This led to the establishment of the Technical Co-operation Programme.

He said the workshop was meant to bring together key stakeholders and partners to come up with strategies to achieve food security in those households and communities affected by HIV and Aids.

Cde Gumbo commended the continued support from FAO, which he said came handy in the face of the effects of the pandemic on the country's economy and agricultural sector in particular, which include reduced labour activity and low land utilisation, among others.

"The Ministry of Agriculture is most indebted for the co-operation and assistance by FAO.

"Agricultural sector institutions are now in a unique position to contribute to national action against HIV and Aids," Cde Gumbo said.

He said the workshop was an opportunity for stakeholders to participate and come up with a holistic approach to strengthen institutions' capacity to mitigate HIV and Aids.

Professor Gabriel Rugalema, a senior Aids and food security officer with FAO, said Zimbabwe was the only country that was implementing an agricultural sector strategy among all countries that his organisation had given support.

He said many countries that had formulated these strategies had either not implemented or partially implemented them.

Prof Rugalema said the funds that were made available by his organisation would be utilised in implementing a number of priority areas outlined in the strategy, which include developing a strong and committed HIV and Aids leadership in agriculture. An HIV and Aids co-ordination office would also be set up at the ministry.

Other priorities also encompass the provision of HIV and Aids prevention services at the workplace and the development of special mitigatory programmes and economic empowerment of vulnerable groups, among others.

Participants at the workshop, however, noted that more funding was required to fully implement the strategy.

The Zimbabwe Aids Agriculture Sector Strategic Plan on HIV and Aids was launched in 2006 by the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare to mitigate the effects of the pandemic on agriculture, Zimbabwe's economic mainstay.