Sharleen Mohammed

Good nutrition is key to keeping people living with HIV healthy and on treatment, but some households continue to struggle to access enough food.

Speaking at a press conference held yesterday, National AIDS Council (NAC) Director Dr Bernard Madzima said poor diets are a major barrier to treatment adherence and highlighted agriculture-based solutions to help families.

“Nutrition plays a big part, not just for HIV patients but for everyone,” Dr Madzima said. “Before wider HIV treatment programmes came in, NAC was already running nutrition support, especially through community gardens and small livestock projects.”

He noted that NAC currently supports food production initiatives mainly through its partnership with the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Service. These include piggery, goat rearing, poultry and vegetable gardens, all designed to improve diets while creating small income streams for families.

“These programmes show how agriculture can directly improve nutrition,” Dr Madzima said. “We know good diets are important for people on treatment, but we can only support nutrition in technical ways. The actual production work is happening through our partnerships.”

Dr Madzima stressed that empowering households to grow their own food can reduce interruptions in HIV treatment caused by hunger. “Good nutrition is essential for people on HIV treatment. Stronger community agriculture  from gardens to livestock  helps families eat well and stay healthy,” he said.

Zimbabwe has officially launched preparations for this year’s World AIDS Day commemorations, marking the start of a national week dedicated to reflection, mobilisation and renewed commitment to ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030. The celebrations, set for Umzingwane in Matabeleland South, come at a time when government is accelerating the integration of HIV programmes with broader public health priorities, including childhood cancer care, to ensure communities receive holistic support.

The build-up to World AIDS Day is not a single-day event, but a nationwide process bringing together communities, health facilities and civil society organisations to reflect on hard-won gains, address remaining gaps and ensure households can access both treatment and the nutrition they need.