Access to Rural Non-Farm Livelihoods - Natural Resources Institute

Box 3. The Kamakuma Women’s Agriculture & Bakery Group 72
The group was formed in 1993 with the aim of supporting orphans, as well as receiving training in
IGAs and NGO support, and acting as an example to others, as they were the first in this area. The
original members were all friends – they are all still with the group, although four new members
have also joined. The members each contribute 2,000 shillings per year, and new members are
required to pass a one month trial period before being fully accepted into the group. They started
with farming together on a piece of land owned by the Chairperson but set aside for the group’s use.
The crops are sold and the money divided in three ways – some is used to support the orphans,
particularly with secondary school fees, some is disbursed in rotation, with one member getting
30,000 shillings each month to start or develop an IGA, or help with household expenses, and the
rest is put into a bank account and saved for “problem” times. The group also bakes bread and rolls
for sale. The Chairperson and one of the male members of the group, Sulayiman Kato, were taught
how to bake by the Irish Fund for Community Development, and they then taught the others. The
money for the first batch of ingredients came from their farming work, but World Vision gave them
a loan to cover the costs of building an oven – someone came to build it for them, and showed them
how to maintain and repair it. They bake on Fridays and Sundays, and divide themselves into two
shifts, one for each day. The Chairperson and Sulayiman Kato go to Kyotera once a month to buy
the ingredients, and fuelwood is collected locally by the members. They make about 15 large loaves
and 140 small buns in a day – most is sold locally, with some going to Rakai or other nearby places,
and some is consumed by the members and their families. A portion of the proceeds is returned as
working capital, with the rest being saved with the group’s other money. They want to improve the
oven by replacing the original iron bars with wire mesh which they think would be easier to
maintain, but they lack capital. The do not want to go back to World Vision for another loan as
although they managed to repay the first one, it was very difficult as the period was very short, so
they are looking for other sources. They also want to expand the baking business so that they bake
daily, and in the future would like to start making soap – they have the skills, but lack the equipment
and the capital to buy it. In general, although neighbours, friends, and family were initially sceptical
of their ability to start up and run a business, they now recognise their success and support them.
They attribute their success to the strength of the group – they know and trust one another, and share
the same interests and aims. Other groups struggle or fail when they include members who do not do
their share of the work, or do not pay their dues, or even cheat.
Carpentry is primarily undertaken by men, and requires specialist training and tools. Many
carpenters survive in hard times through sales of coffins.
Box 4. Mani Maga, carpenter
Mani is 35 years old, and lives with his wife Ada and their four children. He started his carpentry
business back in 1985 having learnt the skills while working at the Works Department at the district
headquarters in Rakai. He bought his tools with his wages from the Works Department, and has a
workshop next to his home on the main road to Kibaale. He makes furniture (beds, tables, etc.),
which he sells from the workshop to people from Byakabanda and the surrounding villages. He buys
the timber in Kyotera, but it is expensive to bring it back to Byakabanda, and costs have increased so
much in recent months as a result of rising fuel prices that he thinks he will have to raise the prices
of the finished goods. However, this is a problem, as demand is already low – it is always seasonal,
as it depends on farmers having money, but has been particularly poor in recent times as a result of a
series of very meagre harvests. He and Ada also farm, and in the low seasons they supplement their
income by buying vegetables and fruit, such as tomatoes, onions, and sweet bananas, in Kibaale and
then reselling them from a stall outside their home. Carpentry used to be the household’s main
source of income, but if things do not improve after the next harvest, Mani is thinking about putting
more energy into expanding the vegetable and fruit business instead. He sees his household as
belonging to the middle income group in the village – they can afford to use hired farm labour
during busy periods – but fears it will be difficult to maintain their standard of living as they grow
older. His father, a sheikh, lives nearby, and is quite poor in his old age, although Mani supports him
by buying household supplies such as salt and sugar.
72 For a list of members see Appendix 6.
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