Eastern Africa

University of Sokoine

Trevor Bradbury

enquiries@trl.co.uk

Sustainable livelihoods, mobility and access needs. D F Bryceson,  D A C Maunder, T C Mbara, R Kibombo, A S C Davis and J D G F Howe. 2003. - HTML 

Sustainable livelihoods, mobility and activity patterns in Zimbabwe and Uganda. 'Urban Mobility for All' - the Codatu X conference, Lome, Togo, 12-15 November 2002. pp. 6. D. A. C. Maunder, A. S. C. Davis, D. F. Bryceson, J. Howe, T. C. Mbara, R. Kibombo.2002.- DOC

Sustainable livelihoods, access and mobility along the Kampala-Jinja Corridor, Uganda. R. Kibombo, T. Onweng, D. Bryceson, D. Maunder, A. Davis, J. Howe. 2002. - DOC

Sustainable livelihoods, access and mobility along the Harare. Bindura Corridor, Zimbabwe.  T. Mbara, O. Chiyaka, D. Bryceson, D. Maunder, A. Davis - DOC

Use of Sustainable Livelihoods Approaches

Historically, investments in improved road access have dominated the development budgets of governments and donors, yet their record is widely acknowledged to have been weak in contributing to reductions in poverty. For investments to be more effectively targeted on improving mobility and the access needs of the poor, improved understanding of their potential influence on people's working lives, and what needs to be done to realise that potential, is required. The SLA appeared able to provide the understanding that is required, but this had to be established by research.  

The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach was found to enable the investigation of mobility impacts on livelihoods in a holistic manner, drawing on multi-sectoral aspects of access need, with particular reference to social services (schools, health centres), income-generating opportunities(both formal and informal sources of income), and social  pursuits (visiting relations and friends).

The study also revealed that the Sustainable Livelihoods Approach can be extended and enhanced by tracing the connection between different forms of mobility, i.e residential, daily short-distance and annual long-distance mobility, and livelihood patterns. Residential mobility reflects aspects of work search and stability. Short-distance mobility is strongly associated with type of employment (formal or informal) and residential distance from work location. Long-distance mobility is less an outcome of work patterns and more an indication of the social and cultural value placed on keeping in contact with one’s extended family in African extended families spanning the rural-urban spectrum.