Durban — Farm workers’ battles with lifestyle diseases‚ HIV/AIDS and substance abuse is likely to threaten SA’s food security. A sickly workforce‚ according to Agility Corporate — which provides healthcare risk-management solutions to medical schemes — is likely to result in loss of productivity‚ adding to the many challenges South African farmers have to deal with‚ including drought‚ farm attacks and issues of land ownership. "Our research in the agricultural sector shows that lifestyle diseases top the list of most-claimed-for conditions‚" said Lizette Bester‚ an Agility executive. Diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are common among farm workers. "When it comes to risks impacting the workforce‚ there are a myriad of factors influencing agricultural operations’ efficiency in their contribution to food production," Bester said. "To make tangible‚ lasting progress‚ worker productivity needs to be assessed and addressed holistically." Bester said the negative effect of stress‚ psych...
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