Access to Rural Non-Farm Livelihoods - Natural Resources Institute

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6 CONCLUSIONS Rakai District has had a difficult recent history, which was an important factor in the decision to implement the RDDP, a comprehensive rehabilitation, reconstruction, and development programme funded by Danida since 1992. The RDDP has had many far reaching impacts, including on the non-farm economy, most notably through the rehabilitation and construction of roads, but also through the provision of credit, albeit with limited outreach with respect to demand. It has also supported vocational and technical training for youth, particularly orphans, both directly through support to technical institutions, and indirectly through support to NGOs which offer training amongst other services. The economy of the district remains very heavily based on primary production – crop farming, notably of coffee and bananas, with annual crops in less humid areas, livestock in drier areas, and fishing on Lake Victoria and Lakes Kijanebalola and Kacheera. However, the non-farm economy is considerable, and includes trade in crops, livestock and livestock products, and fish, as well as processing of these, trade in manufactured goods, cottage industries and crafts, and services. Trade in agricultural produce, particularly coffee, is a lucrative business, although it can be risky, and is capital intensive. Large or even medium scale traders are generally considered to be the pinnacle of local businessmen, and becoming a trader was often cited as the ultimate economic aspiration, particularly of younger men. Most produce is sold directly from the farm. Small scale traders move from farm to farm and then either sell to medium scale traders/transporters in the local trading centres, or arrange transport themselves, usually to Kyotera. Medium scale traders either buy from small scale traders in trading centres, or employ a few trusted local people to go from farm to farm for them in exchange for a small salary or commission. Opportunities for traders have increased under the government’s liberalisation policies and with the failure of the former marketing co-operatives, albeit at the expense of farmers, who generally have little idea of the potential value of their crops, and are unable or unwilling to take them to market themselves. Processing of agricultural products occurs at an industrial scale, e.g., at coffee processing factories, at the community level (e.g., electric or diesel powered maize mills) and at the household level. The first is obviously very capital intensive, and facilities are limited in distribution. The second is much more common, and is mostly based on the production of local beers and spirits for local consumption. At a small scale, brewing and distilling are not considered to be very profitable, particularly in comparison with growing crops for sale, but they can play an important role by providing income monthly as opposed to seasonally, and in spreading risk. They are undertaken by both women and men. Trade in manufactured goods is mostly in household items such as soap, sugar, matches, batteries, exercise books and pens, etc., as well as sodas and snack foods. Opening a shop requires considerable capital investment, and being a shopkeeper is a position of prestige, although lack of business skills, such as bookkeeping, means that not all shops are actually very profitable. Business is linked to agricultural incomes, and thus variable. Other retailers specialise in petrol, a business that has increased since the rehabilitation of the roads in the district, stationery, a business which has increased with increased enrolment under UPE, and second-hand clothes. 65
Small-scale manufacturing enterprises or cottage industries and crafts include carpentry, brickmaking, and construction, which are typically undertaken by men, and have flourished in recent years in-part as a result of the ongoing RDDP infrastructural developments, and the introduction of UPE and its associated major classroom building programmes. Carpentry, in particular, requires specialist training and tools, while brickmaking and construction offer opportunities for employment of relatively unskilled youths. Tailors make formal/traditional clothes for special occasions, as well as school uniforms, and have also benefited from increased enrolment under UPE. Like carpentry, however, tailoring requires specialist training and equipment. Handicrafts, such as pottery, basket and mat weaving, crocheting, knitting, and embroidery, and making brooms, are typically undertaken by women, often poor women, often in groups. Profits are small as there are limited markets, and it appears that they are primarily undertaken because of the low entry requirements. Nonetheless, to the poorest, even a very small amount of income can be significant, and there is informal evidence that groups continue in part because they like spending time with one another, sitting and talking as they work. New crafts and cottage industries have been introduced by NGOs, particularly to women’s groups. These include baking, and the construction of cement water storage tanks – however, the market for tanks is limited due to the high cost of the materials. Service businesses include lodging houses, restaurants, local bars, and the sale of cooked snack foods, which are often undertaken by women, as well as private health services, such as the preparation and sale of traditional herbal medicines, the running of drug shops or private clinics, or the provision of midwifery services. These require some specialist training on the part of the staff, who may be employees. Midwifery is relatively unprofitable, and is perhaps undertaken in part as a service to the community, while owning a drug shop is generally very lucrative, but requires considerable capital investment. Other service businesses requiring both specialist training and some capital investment include mechanics and repairmen, as well as hairdressers and barbers – motorcycle mechanics in particular have benefited from the increased levels of transport facilitated by the improved roads and increased government and NGO extension worker presence. Transport providers, both land and water, also require capital investment, as well as skills not widely found in rural areas. Unskilled service providers include water carriers and general porters, usually young men. Some well off people, usually male household heads, also generate income from rental properties in trading centres. Finally, Byakabanda in particular is home to a relatively large number of salaried workers, such as teachers, government and NGO extension workers, and most importantly, administrators and political leaders who work at the district headquarters in nearby Rakai Town. Although salaries are generally low, salaried employees are typically among the better off as they tend to be well educated and well connected and thus well informed about development opportunities. Furthermore, they are also often able to access formal credit against their salaries or to take advances, so most have profitable businesses on the side which often bring in more money than their salaries. Agriculture underpins the economy of the district and of almost every household, both rich and poor. In terms of income generation, the sale of food and cash crops is closely followed by the sale of small livestock, such as goats, pigs, rabbits, or chickens, or cattle. One of the major crops for sale is matooke, which is harvested year round, evening out somewhat the seasonality of agricultural incomes, which are further complemented by the periodic sale of animals. 66
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N A T U R A L R E S O U R C E S I N
Page 3 and 4:
5. VILLAGE LEVEL FINDINGS: KITAMBUZ
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ACRONYMS CAO CBO CERUDEB DDP DFID D
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The remaining introductory sections
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in the west of the district, and be
Page 11 and 12:
Production 10 ; Education; Health &
Page 13 and 14:
1.7 History The general area that i
Page 15 and 16:
district money was unaccounted for
Page 17 and 18:
pastoralist households have also st
Page 19 and 20: feasible for those who live far awa
Page 21 and 22: The RRCS started in 1992 and is imp
Page 23 and 24: with other sources of funding alrea
Page 25 and 26: een any negative effects 43 . Howev
Page 27 and 28: qualified teachers 46 , but this re
Page 29 and 30: Data collection took place over thr
Page 31 and 32: the district database. The second c
Page 33 and 34: Processing of fruit is almost non-e
Page 35 and 36: able to train young people more eff
Page 37 and 38: The Community Services Department w
Page 39 and 40: 4.2 Income Generating Activities Th
Page 41 and 42: Box 1. Michael Dunga, coffee trader
Page 43 and 44: Box 3. The Kamakuma Women’s Agric
Page 45 and 46: Box 6. The Kooki Women’s Water &
Page 47 and 48: 4.3.3 Services There are a small nu
Page 49 and 50: purchasing power of the local marke
Page 51 and 52: Lack of skills was not cited by any
Page 53 and 54: pushed some towards forming groups
Page 55 and 56: children getting thin and dying, le
Page 57 and 58: Box 12. Mr Muza, trader Mr Muza is
Page 59 and 60: Box 15. Theresa Okundi, basket make
Page 61 and 62: 5.4 Farm and non-farm livelihoods A
Page 63 and 64: 5.5.1 Poverty Poverty in its most b
Page 65 and 66: esult of a special skill 127 , or t
Page 67 and 68: 5.5.6 Enabling factors At the end o
Page 69: late husbands’ families. Married
Page 73 and 74: shopkeeping, or other retail activi
Page 75 and 76: Old age and failing strength, healt
Page 77 and 78: APPENDIX 1a Research team Dr Kate M
Page 79 and 80: APPENDIX 2a. Attendance at the comm
Page 81 and 82: APPENDIX 3. Attendance at the group
Page 83 and 84: APPENDIX 5. Gender analysis of key
Page 85 and 86: APPENDIX 7. Members of the Kooki Wo
Page 87 and 88: APPENDIX 9. Gender analysis of barr
Page 89 and 90: APPENDIX 11. Definitions of wealth/
Page 91 and 92: APPENDIX 13. Members of the Kitambu
Page 93: FS 54723 ISO 9001 Joanne Downard En
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