More evidence of poverty growth

“There has been a real deterioration of welfare in terms of income, food consumption and nutritional status in Mozambique between 2007 and 2008,” concludes a study by the Washington-based Center for Global Development. All but one measure showed “a worsening of economic conditions” in urban areas.


The study was done to look at the impact of HIV/AIDS, but instead its main conclusion was of a general sharp fall in family income and food consumption, and a decline in nutritional status of children. Families of HIV/AIDS patients were actually less badly hit, because the increased availability of anti-retroviral treatment allowed HIV/AIDS positive people to do more work.


Data was collected in 2007 and 2008 in Maputo city and mainly in urban areas of Maputo province, Manica and Sofala from 896 households, two-thirds with at least one identified HIV positive adult, and the other third from a non HIV/AIDS household nearby.


The article is Damien de Walque et al. 2011. “Food Crisis, Household Welfare and HIV/AIDS Treatment: Evidence from Mozambique.” CGD Working Paper 238. Washington, DC: Center for Global Development
and is available on
http://www.cgdev.org/content/publications/detail/1424730